The Adventures of Tintin: The Reporter and the Raven
by SkyDragon2996
Summary: TintinXOC. Inspired by "The Adventures of Tintin"(2011) Synopsis: Tintin accidentally crosses paths with a feisty, stubborn, female adventurer who seems rough but angelic. Along with his dog Snowy, Tintin attempts to uncover the mystery of the Unicorn. Along the way, they meet the drunken, short-tempered Captain Haddock, and together, they embark on the adventure of a lifetime.
1. Accident of fate

So, I basically decided to imagine how the course of the 2011 Tintin movie would occur if I inserted my OC Malina into the fray. This was just a new idea that I decided to try out for a change. I just wanted to do this for a change. So um, I hope you like reading this story!

So relax, and enjoy!

* * *

(Malina's side)

The first thing that Malina did this morning was leap right out of bed and stared out the window of her country home. Today seemed like a good day to go to town and enjoy the sights. It had been almost a few months since she had moved in after retiring from her services as an experienced pilot. She had done so many things to serve in the Belgian Royal Force.

But now that she retired from service, Malina still tried to adjust to normal life. There wouldn't have to be any more adventures from that moment on.

For now...

Malina then stared out at the fields from within her upstairs bedroom. The sky was clear and blue outside. It was good as any other day. "Hmmm, I think I may go to town and enjoy myself a little," she muttered. Malina then went straight to her wardrobe and searched for something to wear for the day. Finally, she settled on a pretty white button-up shirt, along with a light blue cardigan sweater. She then slipped into a green and white polka-dotted skirt and white socks. Malina wasn't a fan of outfits like these. But she wanted to get herself back into normalcy anyway.

"Well, you're up awful early," Hanna said as she saw Malina tie her black Oxford shoes. "Are you going somewhere?" "I just wanted to go explore the town, to clear my mind," Malina told her sister. "But it's still a little early," Hanna yawned, fidgeting a little in her pink nightgown. "You sure you want to go to town?" "Trust me, I just want to get out and enjoy myself for a change," Malina told her. "I just want to fit in like a normal woman."

"Okay, suit yourself," Hanna said, rubbing her eyes. "I'm gonna go read for a while." She then disappeared back into her room as Malina went downstairs.

"Morning, Aunt Jenny!" Malina called from upstairs. "Oh, Malina! You're up and about, I see," Jenny said as Malina pulled out a chair in the dining room. Jenny then turned to the stove, where there was a pair of eggs frying and in desperate need of being flipped over. Malina then took a spatula and lifted two pancakes from the platter that held them. "There you go, sweetie," Jenny said as she dutifully delivered the eggs to Malina's plate.

As Malina began to eat, Jenny poured herself a cup of tea and prepared her toast, along with fruit and jelly marmalade to pair with it. "So, any plans for today, little raven?" Jenny asked as she quietly sipped her tea. "I was thinking of heading to downtown Brussels today, maybe to check the town out," Malina said as she poured molasses over her pancakes. She then cut up the pancakes into little, triangle-shaped pieces. "Oh, is that so?" Jenny asked. "Well, I do have some important news for you to share. I think you may want to hear about it." She then scooped up a swab of marmalade with her toast and bit into it.

"What's the important news?" Malina asked, chewing the eggs.

"Your sister has to head to England to be a representative at a youth writers' curriculum in London, and on top of that, we have to head to Spain for the Booksellers and Crafting festival in San Gibraltar," Jenny had told her. "We'll be gone for about two weeks, starting tomorrow." "What does that mean?" Malina asked as she poured more tea into her cup. "That means I'll be leaving you in charge of the house while we're gone," Jenny told Malina.

"I'm in charge?" Malina asked. "Why, of all the people in the world, would you let me take charge of the house?" "Because, you proved yourself to be the toughest woman back in your army days, and that could pay off for protecting the house," Jenny said as she wiped the crumbs off her plate with her napkin. "And I would trust you in making sure this house stays safe."

"No problem, Aunt Jenny," Malina said, finally finishing off the last few morsels of her breakfast. She then got up to put her plate away. "Here, I can take your plate, aunt," Malina said as she dutifully picked up Jenny's plate and delivered the plates to the sink. "Oh, thank you!" Jenny said. "Such a nice lady, you are."

...

Some time later in the afternoon, Malina finally grabbed her black leather jacket and stepped out the door, with Jenny standing by the doorway. "Have fun in town, little raven!" Jenny said as Malina gave her a small kiss on the cheek. "Stay safe now!" "I will!" Malina called out as soon as she was running toward the bus stop two blocks down. "I'll be fine on my own! No need to worry about a thing!"

Malina sat down on the copper bench as she began waiting for the bus to take her to Brussels. She then reached into her pocketbook and pulled out a watch suspended by a silver necklace chain. "Hmm, should be arriving any time now," Malina mumbled.

As if on cue, a small bus had arrived. "Number 55 to Brussels!" The driver had shouted. Malina smiled and walked inside the bus, seating herself by the window near the left of the bus. As the bus had departed from Antwerp, Malina could only stare as the bus had sped past grassy cornfields and rolling hills. It felt good to finally breathe the air. But more importantly, Malina wanted to get used to city life and fit in. But the bus ride would be so long.

...

"Last stop, Brussels! Anyone gettin' off?"

Late in the afternoon, the bus had finally arrived in Brussels.

Malina heard the cry and instantly pulled on the string overhead, signaling for the driver to stop. The bus then slowly halted to a stop near a copper bench at Labrador Street. "Thank you very much, sir," Malina told the driver as she got off. But she could not get off until she paid him a tip, giving him five small euros in exchange for the trip. "Just a little something for you," she whispered to the driver. "Thanks, lassie," the driver said as Malina finally got off the bus. Waving goodbye to the driver, Malina took a second to admire her surroundings.

But this city was so big! Where could she go to start her day? "Hmmm...where, oh where, shall I ever start for the day?" Malina wondered aloud to herself. She just could not decide where to go to explore. There were so many stores, shops, just anywhere to go! As Malina was wandering around, slowly pausing to stare through the window of a local bookstore, she then noticed the reflection of the flea market downtown. Malina smiled.

"Maybe I'll go check out the flea market a little," Malina told herself. She then stared at a local cafe nearby, and stared back at the downtown market. After two minute, it was the same. "Hmmm," she muttered. "But first, maybe I'll go for a light cup of hot chocolate, maybe a biscuit or two."

Malina checked her pocketbook and took out her wallet. She counted a few coins. Perfect.

Malina then slipped her wallet into her jacket and proceeded to walk to the cafe. But it was not long before she had bumped headlong into somebody. Then, she found herself falling to the street.

"Ow!" Malina exclaimed, rubbing her arms. "Hey! Watch out, you—!"

"No, no. I should be the one apologizing..."

"Well, you're the one who—what?"

Malina then rubbed her eyes a little and found whom she had collided into. She found herself staring at a young man a little below her age. He was dressed neatly, wearing a light blue pullover over a white button-up shirt. He wore brown trousers with brownish black socks, and brown leather Oxford shoes, along with a beige-colored trench coat. But what was most unusual about him was his hair. He had lacelike ginger colored hair, with a small triangular tuft of it it sticking up, with a small swish that it almost looked like a tiny ocean wave. A tiny white, fluffy fox terrier was pouncing around the two, barking crazily.

"Oh dear...Here, let me help you up, miss," the man said, reluctantly offering his hand.

"No need, I can help myself," Malina said, waving him off. The man tried to get her hand, but Malina kept shooing him away. "I said I can help myself!" Malina exclaimed. The young man felt Malina's fingers digging through his leg as she grabbed his leg and pulled herself up.

"Arg..." Malina said, dusting off the dirt on her skirt. She then grabbed a hanky from her pocketbook and hastily wiped her skirt.

"I am so sorry," the man had told her. "I did not look where I was going. Anything damaged?" "No, just a wee stain on my jumper," Malina told him. "Maybe you could use another set of eyes on your forehead."

And just like that, Malina hastily took off and left the man standing, dumbfounded at what she had said. The dog slowly gave out a small woof. The man then shook his head and took off in the opposite direction.

Malina then stepped inside the cafe and ordered a cup of hot chocolate, along with a ham and cheese bagel sandwich. As Malina sat by window sipping her drink, she could not help but feel a twinge of sympathy for that man. "Why did I have to tell him I didn't need help?" Malina wondered aloud. "He was just being a gentleman, that's all. Maybe I'm just struggling to socialize." Malina then grabbed her bagel sandwich and began munching on it.

* * *

(Tintin's side)

Tintin was still feeling a little dazed about that woman she had run into. Why didn't he look where he had just gone? And that woman didn't even bother to receive his help? What a day!

"She thinks I need another set of eyes?" Tintin had asked Snowy. "Clearly, she did not see me coming. So I guess that can also apply to her." Snowy gave Tintin a rather sarcastic woof.

Tintin was now walking through the streets when he spotted tow familiar detectives strolling by.

"Ah, Tintin," Thompson had said, greeting the familiar reporter standing before. "Quite a surprise seeing you in these parts." "Well," Tintin said, smiling, "if it isn't you fellow detectives—" "Thompson," Thompson said. "And Thomson!" Thomson had added in. "What brings you two here?" Tintin asked.

Without any warning, the Thompsons had pulled out their canes and brought Tintin forth. "Hush now!" Thompson whispered. "We're on assignment." "Aye. We're on an important case," Thomson added. "Oh? And what kind of case is it?" Tintin had asked. "Pickpockets," Thompson said. "They're now at an all-time high." "Precisely. They're on the rise," Thomson had said. "Aye. And I trust you're working on the case?" Thompson asked Tintin.

"Actually, I was just going to the library to complete an article," Tintin said. "But right now, I'm not on the case yet."

"Nonsense!" Thompson said. "You surely can't be saying that!" "Absolutely not!" Thomson said. "A fine reporter like you be out there in the field. He should not sitting at home like you are now."

Tintin sighed. "Thompson, Thomson," Tintin had said. "I do not think you're quite understanding what I'm saying." "Of course! How can you not be out there searchin' for stories?" Thompson asked. "Precisely. You shouldn't be sitting in your own home. Isn't that right, Thompson?" "Of course," Thompson replied.

Tintin shook his head. "But I've been home. For three months," Tintin had told them, "and there's nothing going on." He then took a look at the sky and breathed heavily. "How can I call myself a reporter...if there isn't any new stories to chase?" Snowy then yawned a little. "I know, Snowy. It's been long since our last story," Tintin muttered to his little dog.

"Oh, poppycock," Thompson said. "But that isn't no reason to complain. You should be able to find a story sooner or later. But you can't waste it complainin'." "To be precise, not finding a new story isn't a reason to feel down. You got to find it!" Thomson said. "True!" Thompson added. That gave Tintin a small twinge of hope. He smiled a little. The Thompsons may not always be the smartest duo in the bunch, but at least they knew how make one feel better.

"Thanks, you two," Tintin had told the Thompsons. "Somehow I knew you two would make me feel good." He then stared all around as the sun was slowly moving across the sky.

"I think I must go now," Tintin told the Thompsons. "I need to work on my article. Right now." "Aye, of course! You go on ahead!" Thompson said. "Important to keep an eye on your work!" "Precisely, you must get your articles done," Thomson said. As they proceeded to leave, Tintin waved goodbye to them. "And don't forget to watch your step, you two!" Tintin called out to them, smiling as he said this.

"Will do!" Thompson said. But it wasn't that long before the Thompsons found themselves tripping on the curb and falling into a puddle. Yes, they were the best detectives ever.

Tintin and Snowy both continued to walk through the town until they had reached the library. Walking past the many patrons who were buzzing in and out of each aisle of books, Tintin began pulling out various books from different shelves and carried them to a nearby desk with a typewriter on top. Setting the books down on the desk, Tintin had sat down and pulled out several sheets of blank paper. He dutifully inserted a sheet into the typewriter. Before Tintin was about to work, he began to think about that girl he bumped into that afternoon. _Huh. She seemed friendly, but a little stubborn. But she is a rather interesting character though,_ Tintin thought. _She does seem like a rather friendly one. Maybe..._

Tintin then shook his head and sighed. Then, just like any other reporter, Tintin started typing away at the typewriter, immediately forgetting what had happened earlier. Snowy then paced around Tintin's legs and finally laid down. A normal, typical day at the library.


	2. Souvenirs and Alley Attacks

(Malina's side)

After having finally finished her afternoon snack, Malina finally exited the cafe and proceeded to make her way to the flea market for a little exploration. The downtown market looked like a good place to look around, maybe even find some cute little trinkets to buy. Malina sighed to herself as she continued down the street and on towards the flea market. After sniffing a little, Malina proceeded.

The flea market was a bustling place! There was so much to do, and so much to see. Malina wasn't sure she could possibly take in all her surroundings.

 _So this is what a real flea market is_ , Malina thought. _This pretty much beats all those junkyard sales back at the base camp. It was very fun, but it was the same every week. This place has a lot more variety. And it's more colorful too._

Malina carefully maneuvered her way through the large sea of faces as they were all buzzing in an out of each stall, seeking or buying just about anything. One stand was selling beautiful jewelry, while another stand was displaying nicely used pieces of clothing. From afar, a small trio of musicians was playing a song at the village square, whereas some children were playing near the corners of the sidewalk. Malina smiled as she saw two little girls zooming past her as she walked.

As Malina was passing through the various stalls, she paused by a stall that sold jewelry. Her eyes then rested on a pretty silver locket that had two rings. The rings were alike, but so different; one ring was black with a silver feather, and the other was silver with a black raven feather. "That's so pretty," Malina said, smiling as she picked up the locket.

"Ah, ain't she a beauty?" The salesman asked Malina. "That there's a real dandy. A true, silver keepsake locket. Very lovely." "How much?" Malina asked, taking out her wallet from inside her jacket pocket. "For the locket, along with these rings?" "I'll sell that trinket for about sixty. What's your deal?"

Malina smiled as she pulled out her wallet. "Well, how about I give you twenty for the locket, and we'll have ourselves a deal?" Malina asked. "What do you say?" "I say...I say, ya got yourself a deal!" The salesman told her. Malina paid for the necklace, and she grinned as she was handed the locket in a small brown paper bag. Malina smiled in awe. "Ill give Hanna the silver and black ring. That'll be something for her to remember me by," Malina said to herself, smiling as she slowly put the locket back in the bag. Then, she bade the salesman good day. And continued to walk.

...

As Malina was looking around, she then came across a stand that sold pretty sun hats. Malina's eyes then rested on a beautiful straw hat adorned with small blue flowers. "That's perfect for Aunt Jenny! For her trip to London," Malina said, snapping her fingers. As she was just paying for the hat, Malina was trying it on in front of the mirrors to see if it was the correct size for Jenny. That was when Malina found something that caught her eye.

"What is that?" Malina asked herself.

Malina slowly put the hat back in the bag and walked toward a stall that held a small model ship from within a large glass case. "Wow, would you look at that," Malina muttered, resting her fingers on the glass. "What a pretty little ship. And very intricately designed. What a vessel."

"She's a beauty, isn't she?" A male voice asked. Malina then paused and stared back at the old salesman talking to her. "Oh! I'm very sorry, sir," Malina said, getting up. "I...I was just looking. Sorry to disturb you." "Oh, no need to apologize, dear," the salesman told her.

"Okay," Malina told him. "What is this ship, anyway?"

"Ah, allow me to show ya, miss," the salesman told her as he gently took the ship out of the glass display case. "This here, is the Unicorn." "The Unicorn?" Malina asked, awestruck. "Aye. The finest vessel ever built. Very old, it is. Straight from an old sea captain's estate. Yes, the Unicorn was the finest man o' war sailin' ship ever crafted."

"Man o' war sailing vessel," Malina muttered, staring at the name plate on the model. "Very interesting. She's beautiful."

"She is, isn't she?" The salesman told Malina. "Yes, I know a lot about vessels," Malina said. "So you do?" The salesman had asked her. "Yep, I've been in the Royal Force my whole life, and I've seen a lot of marine vessels built. Probably the finest ones I've ever seen," Malina told him. Touching the ship's mast, she grinned. "I've seen a lot of great maritime ships, and they've proved to be the best. But I guess nothing can compare to this beauty."

"Tell you what, lass," the salesman told her. "I'll give ya two quid for this model, and we'll be all right here."

Malina sighed heavily. "No, it's okay," Malina said, slowly waving her hand. "I'm not really interested in purchasing this. Maybe someone else might have more luck with this model. But I was just looking at it," Malina told the salesman.

"Very well, then," the salesman said. "Yes, I hope that it'll benefit the next guy who comes across this model," Malina said. She then brushed the dirt off her skirt. "Good day to you, sir." "Good day, miss," the salesman said as Malina waved goodbye.

...

As Malina was walking by, a tall, burly man wearing a long, beige trench coat, black pants, and a black sailor hat peered up from his newspaper. Watching Malina pass by, the man turned to the person next to him, who wore black pants and a blue sweater. "That girl," he whispered. "Maybe she knows what we want." He then peered at his watch. "Get the others ready," he told his partner. "She'll be a perfect asset to the boss." "Yes, Allan," his partner replied.

* * *

(Tintin's side)

"...and while no other witnesses have yet to respond to the crisis, the scepter has, since then, been returned to its rightful owner. And as of now, it will be housed in the royal palace, under the watchful eyes of the Royal Syldavian Guard, where no other thieves can access it."

*ding*

"Whew!" Tintin said, rubbing his hands together. "Another new article done! Now I'm finally finished. Now to get this submitted to the local paper. Ready to go, Snowy?" Snowy, who had been sprawled on the floor snoring, finally sprang up, panting. "You want to go home now, huh?" Tintin asked, petting Snowy. "Let's get this story submitted to the paper, and we can go home." Snowy gave a happy bark as he wagged his tail.

After returning the pile of books back to their proper shelves, Tintin gathered the handful of papers and placed them neatly into a folder. Then, he shoved it back into his knapsack. "All right now, Snowy," Tintin told his little dog. "Let's get going now."

Tintin was then walking down the street, with Snowy trotting alongside his heels. Tintin then slowly took out the folder filled with his already typed papers. "Think I'll go drop these off at the local paper right now. To avoid any overdue fee," Tintin muttered to himself. He then scooped up Snowy in his arms and began picking up his pace as he continued down the town square.

A man was sitting beside his desk near the window, dutifully handing each patron his newspaper. "Have a good day, sir!" The man had told the pedestrian as he walked by. That was when Tintin had walked close by. "Ah, good evening, sir! And what can I help oui with?" The man asked as Tintin paused near the small window.

"I just got another article finished. Now I'm ready to submit it," Tintin said, handing in the papers to the man. "Thank you, sir. What a pleasure," the man said, graciously taking the papers from Tintin's hand. "It'll be on tomorrow's paper."

"Thank you!" Tintin said as he exited the building. "Have a good evening, sir!" "And to you as well!" The man said, waving back to Tintin as he bade him good day.

Tintin then continued down the streets, walking past several buildings and staring at the bright windows illuminating the square. At that moment, Snowy began whimpering and pawing around Tintin's foot. "What is it, boy?" Tintin asked Snowy. "What's gotten into you now?"

Snowy then began bouncing around in a crazed manner just as Tintin paused near a small restaurant. Snowy then sat down, his ears pricked up and his tongue hanging out. "You're hungry?" Tintin asked Snowy, raising an eyebrow as he knelt down to pet him. "Is that what you're telling me?" Snowy licked Tintin's hand as Tintin petted him. Tintin then felt his stomach grumble slightly. Now he was getting hungry.

"Maybe you're right, Snowy," Tintin said, rubbing his chest. "I guess we're both hungry, huh? How about this? Let's go get a bite to eat, then we can go home. What do you say?"

Tintin then opened the door of the restaurant as he let Snowy in. Then he went in as well. As Tintin sat down at a table near the window, he finally ordered his meal. Soon enough, Tintin was now eating his food as Snowy was happily chewing on a small bone.

* * *

(Malina's side)

Malina was quickly walking along the sidewalk, hoping to catch up to the bus stop for the next bus back to Antwerp. "Can't be late, can't be late, gotta catch it," Malina was mumbling to herself as she was hurriedly walking down the sidewalk. She was walking so swiftly that she often tried to maneuver swiftly through the many people that were walking down the sidewalk. She did not want to miss this buss, or else there would be a clampdown at home with her aunt and sister.

...

As Malina was diligently walking down the sidewalk, the two burly men who had been watching her from afar in the flea market had spotted her from aside a building. "That's the one," the man in the blue sweater had muttered to his partner. "Excellent," The trench-coat-wearing man, who may have been Alan, had said. "Let's see what this woman knows. Let's take care of her." The blue sweater man nodded and proceeded forward.

Malina was swiftly walking through the streets when she felt a large hand clasping her jacket.

"Hey!" Malina exclaimed as she was being dragged down the street. "Hey, let me go! I need to catch the next bus to Antwerp! Let me go, please! I have to go!" But the man grasping Malina's jacket did not bother to listen to her. He just kept tugging on Malina's jacket and continued pulling her the opposite direction.

Finally, the man had thrust Malina forward toward an alleyway, letting go of the jacket and letting Malina fall forward. Coughing and spluttering dust from her face, Malina slowly got up and paused. Standing in front of her was a tall, burly man decked out in a beige trench coat, black pants, grey sweater, and a black sailor's hat. Malina could feel her stomach turn; now she was in a real pickle.

"This is the one, Alan?" One man, wearing black pants and red sweater, had asked. "I'm positive, she's the one we found at the town square market this afternoon," the trench coat man answered. "She's our primary suspect."

Malina tried to crawl back away toward the town square, only to be stopped by the blue sweater man. He then grabbed Malina forcefully by the arms and picked her up. The man with the sailor hat then edged closer to Malina and sneered evilly.

"Who the heck are you?" Malina demanded. "And where am I? What am I doing here? Who are you freaks?!"

"You lost, lassie?" The man asked Malina, his nose right in her face. "No, I was just leaving," Malina grumbled. "And I...need...to get...going now!" Malina was wrestling with the other man's grasp. But he had refused to let her go. "Come on, let me go!" Malina screamed as she was kicking the ground, her boots pounding the ground.

"Kicking and screaming won't help ya out here, lass," the trench coat man snapped at Malina. He then turned to his partner. "Search her," he ordered. His partner nodded and let go of Malina, snatching the paper bags. Throwing the first bag aside, he searched the other bag, pulling out the locket. "Hey!" Malina screamed, kicking the ground. "Don't you touch that! Don't ever touch it!"

"Nothin' here, Alan," the blue sweater man said. "Nothin' of value." "That's all I need to know," the trench coat man had said. "What do you goons want? Because I've got nothing on me, okay?" Malina asked, trying to escape. "We represent someone who could use your help in retrievin' a little something for us," the man, who may have been Alan had asked. Malina angrily spat on his face, hoping it could drive him away. The man simply scoffed in disgust as he wiped the spit from his face.

"Very well, then," the trench coat man said, flicking spit from his fingers. "I see this lady doesn't want to cooperate. Perhaps she'll be the perfect mistress to the boss."

"Who are you working for, freak?!" Malina demanded. "That's none of your business!" The red sweater man snapped at her. "Now tell us what ya know!"

"No!" Malina said, quickly taking out the locket from the bag and, clenching it between her fists, delivered a punch straight to the man's face. She then took off and scurried down the street.

"She punched me! I can't see a thing now!" The red sweater man had exclaimed. "That does it!" The trench coat man muttered angrily. "If she won't tell us, I'll get what we need, even if it makes me take desperate measures!" He then took off, pursuing Malina as she was quickly running through the sidewalks.

"You get back here, girl!" The man exclaimed. "No, I won't! You can't make me!" Malina called out after him.

"Almost there!" Malina said, as she could finally spot the bust stop from afar. She was almost about to make it when she felt the red sweater man grasping her from behind. "Goin' somewhere, lady?" He laughed as he dragged Malina back to the alleyway. "Let me go, freak!" Malina said as the man delivered her back to his partner.

Right then, the trench coat man had grabbed Malina and pinned her to the side of the wall. "That does it! I'm through with messin' around, you wee brat!" He snapped at Malina. He then pulled out a switchblade and brought it close to Malina's chin. "If ya won't tell us what ya know, then I'm goin' to have to kill ya myself!" He said, edging the blade closer to Malina.

"Not if I have anything to say about it!" Malina said. "Shut up!" The man snapped. "There's nothin' you can do, and no one to save you right now!"

* * *

(Tintin's side)

Tintin was exiting the restaurant, holding a bag of leftovers. It was a rather big meal; he couldn't possibly finish his dinner in one sitting. Snowy, on the other hand, was happily prancing outside the restaurant as Tintin was leaving a tip for the waiter. "Oh, you didn't have to do that, mister. We appreciate your company," the waiter told Tintin. "No, it's no trouble at all," Tintin said, smiling. "It's my personal compliments to the chef." "Very well. Good day to you, sir," the waiter said just as Tintin was leaving the restaurant, with Snowy trotting eagerly beside him.

Just as Tintin was about to walk back to his apartment down at Labrador Road, he heard faint screaming from the alleyway. Accidentally dropping his leftovers, he paused, attentive and alert. "Snowy, what's going on?" He asked. "Come on, we have to help!" Picking up his leftovers and shoving them into his knapsack, Tintin and Snowy took off toward the alleys.

* * *

(Malina's side)

By now, Malina was wrestling with her assailants as she was trying to escape. "Please, I need to go right now!" "Shut up, you brat!" The trench coat man snapped. "Now you hold still or I cut your throat!" "Never!" Malina grunted as she kept on kicking, feeling the knife blade edging closer to her neck.

"Hey! Leave her alone!"

The three goons then turned to find a young man running to them from afar. Malina let out a sigh of despair. "Oh dear, not him again," Malina grumbled silently, for she saw it was the same ginger-quiffed man whom she had run into earlier.

"You three!" The young man exclaimed, running up to the goons. "Let this lady go, or I'll fight you!" The goons simply laughed teasingly at Tintin. "Ha, would you look at this, Alan?" The blue sweater man told the trench coat man. "We're being attacked by a pipsqueak elf! Haha!" "Go home, you child. This place ain't appropriate for a wee lad like you," the trench coat man had sneered.

Malina could see the boy's face flushing red with anger. Now there was going to be a storm brewing.

"I said," the boy said through clenched teeth, "LEAVE...HER...ALONE!" And with that, the young man swung his arm forward, delivering a punch to the red sweatered man. The little dog beside him then lunched forward, sinking his jaws onto the trench coat man's leg. "Get off me, you mutt!" The man was screaming as he tried to shake the dog off. Malina didn't know how to respond, but she decided to help. Kicking and punching each of the goons, Malina tried to escape. But the blue sweatered man decided to trip, making her fall.

By then, the goons had practically given up. "Leave this place right now!" The young man had said to them. "If you so ever lay a hand on this woman again, I'll have you both arrested!" "All right, you've won this time! But we'll have her! If we don't, then it'll be your head!" The trench coat man exclaimed as he and his partners had left.

The young man then turned to find Malina slowly pulling together her bags, grumbling under her breath. He wanted to help. "Here," he said, trying to reach for her hand. "Let me—ow!"

At that moment, Malina swung her hand forward, almost slapping the man. "Ow!" The man had said, as he felt a sharp sting on his chin. "What was that for?!" He then peered at a nearby window and found two small red lines underneath his chin. Malina had raked his chin with her fingernails. He then turned to scold Malina.

"Hey, what did you do that for?" The man told Malina. "I was perfectly fine trying to take care of those criminals, until you decided to show up!" Malina snapped. "I was trying to help you!" The young man had said to her. "You think I'm trying to be the damsel in distress? I was trying to get away from there!" Malina said, picking up her bags. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go now." Malina then ran off toward the bus stop.

The young man then noticed that Malina had dropped her wallet. Snowy sniffed it and picked it up with his mouth. "Wait, where you going, Snowy?!" The boy cried out as the dog ran.

"Last bus to Antwerp! Now boarding!"

Malina was now about to board the bus when she found the little white dog that had attacked her assailant. He had her wallet in his teeth! "Oh, did I drop my wallet?" Malina asked, gently taking the wallet from the dog. She then gave him a pat on the head. "Now you go on back to your owner, okay?" The dog barked and ran off.

...

Finally, the bus had arrived back at Antwerp.

"You have a good night now, you hear?" The driver told Malina as she was trudging back to her home. "Yes. Good night, sir!" Malina said as she was skipping merrily toward the front gate of her house. Making her way past the small mulberry bushes and clusters of white daisies, Malina finally reached the door. After digging out her key, Malina unlocked the door and finally went inside.

"Oh my goodness, you're back home!" Jenny was saying as Malina lazily hung her leather jacket on the coat hanger near the lamp pole. "What took you so long?"

"I was just checking out the flea market," Malina said. "I thought I'd go and see all the great stuff they were selling." "That's nice, dear," Jenny said as she set the table. "Malina, come help me with the plates." Malina then began putting out the forks as she set three plates of roast with potatoes, along with bowls of soup. "Hanna! Supper's ready!" Jenny called out as Hanna was racing downstairs.

During dinner, Malina had told her aunt and sister about visiting Brussels. "Amazing!" Hanna said as she dug into her roast. "It's unlike any other city I've ever seen before. And there's so many people over there. I can't believe it." "Were there any bookstores there?" Hanna asked. Malina shrugged; her sister always loved books. "Yes, perhaps a lot more than you can count," Malina said. "But I'd bet there's even more bookstores in London." "Oh, stop it!" Hanna said, flinging a bread roll at Malina's direction. "Girls," Jenny said.

A few hours later, after dinner, Malina had stumbled into the bathroom to take a shower. After finally dressing into her pajamas, Malina clambered into bed. Yet she could not shake the feeling about that man she had encountered when she was being attacked in the alleyway. How did he keep finding her? Or better yet, how did she keep finding him? Maybe it was just a coincidence...

Shaking her head, Malina finally switched off her bedside lamp and went to sleep.


	3. The Ship Beckons

S(Malina's side)

* * *

The next morning, Malina had finally woken up bright and early. Today was the big day. Her sister Hanna would be leaving for London with Aunt Jenny. Malina hurried to get dressed; she didn't want to give Hanna the proper send off while she was still in her nightgown. She threw on a bluish-gray button up shirt, along with dark green pants and black calf-length boots. She then hurried to her door, and paused.

Malina then noticed the bag containing the straw hat and locket. She then took the bag from atop her dresser and exited her room, hurrying downstairs to the front door.

...

"All right now Hanna," Jenny said as she placed the last suitcase near the front door. "Do you have everything?" "Yes, I do," Hanna said, checking her luggage. "Now let's go over the checklist, shall we?" Jenny asked, pulling out her piece of paper she had stashed in her purse. "Now, you have a week and a half's worth of clothing?" "Check," Hanna said.

"Stationery in order?"

"Check."

"Passport?"

"Check."

"All your medications in order? Including those for airsickness, nausea, headaches, sore throat, as well as your cold medicines?"

"Check, check, check, check, and check."

Jenny stared at Hanna in confusion. "For all the medications. Each check is for each medication," Hanna said. Jenny sighed and nodded. "Well, our cab should arrive in a few minutes or less. Did you forget anything else, Hanna?" "Well," Hanna said, "I..."

"Hanna! Hanna, wait!" Malina said as soon as she had reached the front door. Jenny and Hanna did not even start to say anything, for Malina hastily embraced them both. "Thought you'd both leave me without a goodbye hug," Malina said. "My, I'm speechless," Jenny said. "I don't know what to say." Hanna then eyed the bag in Malina's hand.

"Malina, what's that?" Hanna asked. Malina smiled. "A little something to remember me by," Malina said, pulling out the locket. She then took out the silver and black raven feather ring and gave it to Hanna. "Thanks, Malina!" Hanna said, putting the ring on her finger. Pulling out the hat, Malina gave it to Jenny, saying, "And this, is for you." "My goodness, Malina! I love it!" Jenny said, putting it on her head. "Pleasure is all mine," Malina said.

Suddenly, the three could hear a car horn beepin from outside. "Looks like it's time for us to go now," Jenny said. Malina then helped Hanna with her luggage as she loaded them all into the carriage bunk of the taxicab. After all their luggage was loaded onto the taxicab, Malina faced her aunt and sister. "Last hug," Malina said, embracing Hanna and Jenny. But this time, she hugged them even more tighter. The taxicab driver beeped even more.

"Well," Jenny said, hugging Malina, with a small tear coming to her eye, "this is goodbye." "I love you too, Aunt Jenny," Malina said. As Jenny got into the cab with Hanna, she blew a kiss to Malina. "Be safe," Jenny said.

"I will! Goodbye!" Malina said, waving as the taxicab had driven away to the airport. Wrapping her navy blue neckerchief round the collar of her shirt, Malina then went back inside the house. As she went inside, Malina sighed heavily and stared all around at the empty house before.

"Well," Malina said, "I'm all alone now. With the house to myself." She kept staring at her surroundings. "Should be no problem," she muttered. "Nothing bad should happen."

* * *

(Tintin' side)

Some time later that morning, Tintin managed to pull himself out of bed. Yawning lazily, Tintin rubbed his eyes. Now he was ready to start the day.

"Oog, what a night. I didn't think I could get myself out of bed this morning," Tintin mumbled, his eyes half-closed. Slipping his feet into his bedroom slippers, Tintin made his way toward the bathroom and got the water started in the sink. Splashing his face with water, Tintin finally jolted himself awake. "Ah! Now I feel great!" Tintin said. After drying his face, Tintin then hurried to the window and stared outside. The sun was shining down on the town square as people were walking on the sidewalks.

Stretching his legs and arms, Tintin smiled. "Maybe I'll go out for a walk, and maybe I may just go look around at the flea market a little," he said.

As he went to the kitchen, he stooped down to give Snowy, who was lying comfortably on a rug-sized cushion, a morning rub. "Come on now, Snowy. Time to get up," Tintin said. He then put a kettle of hot water to boil on the stove as he began stirring the oatmeal in a pot. Pouring the oatmeal into a bowl, Tintin toasted some bread and smeared them with jam. Then, he got to stirring the tea after pouring the water into a teacup.

While he ate his breakfast, Tintin began reading his newspaper. He kept on nodding with intent as he kept eating. He then decided to finish up his meal by cutting up a few slices of apples and melon, with some blueberries. It certainly was the perfect meal for Tintin to start the day.

Soon after, Tintin then returned back to his bedroom, dressing himself. He slipped on a blue sweater over his white button-up shirt. He then put on brownish-black socks as he dressed into his brown plus fours. After finally tying on his brown leather shoes, Tintin then went for his beige trench coat and proceeded for the door.

"Come on, Snowy! Time to head out now!" Tintin said, putting on his trench coat as he was hurrying down the stairs. By the time he had reached the door downstairs, Snowy was already trailing beside him.

Soon, the two had exited, and began strolling downtown for for the flea market in Brussels.

...

Some few hours later, Tintin and Snowy had finally made it to the flea market. And today, it was even busier than ever. This time, there were new stands selling so many whatsis and stuff. Tintin took a while to admire his surroundings; there was so much to do in such a small flea market. But where should he start? What could possibly be the best way to start the day? Tintin was in awe at the many activities that were going on. "Hmmm, where should we start?" Tintin asked. "There's so much to do here, I can't even decide." Snowy, meanwhile, shook his tail in question.

Tintin kept on walking past the stalls as he heard the lively music coming from a small band that was playing nearby. From afar, a Ferris wheel was moving slowly but leisurely.

Tintin then paused to find a stall where a man was busy taping together portraits that he had painted onto thick wooden boards. And they looked so well done, despite that the portraits looked somewhat cartoonish. Tintin stared at the portraits for a while. "Hmmm, maybe I should get mine done. Just for the fun of it," Tintin thought to himself.

He then approached the man, who was busy taping the last portrait to its surface. "Excuse me, sir," Tintin said, sounding somewhat hesitant at first. "Umm...I'd like a portrait of myself." The man simply smiled in return. "Of course," he had said as he put a fresh piece of paper onto his easel. "Please, have a seat." Tintin then seated himself atop a stool, and gestured for Snowy to sit down. Then, he gave a warm smile and sat perfectly still.

Tintin could not recall how many hours he sat. It had almost felt like nearly an hour, even though it had only been twenty minutes since the man began painting Tintin's portrait.

The artist still kept on painting the portrait, with Tintin still seated at attention. Often times he would be staring at Tintin, as if he were someone familiar. "Very nearly there, sir," the artist said. He then kept his attention to Tintin. "I have to say, your face is familiar. Have I drawn you before?"

Tintin smiled. "Occasionally," he answered.

The man simply chuckled and continued his work. "Of course, I've seen you in the newspaper," he said as he pointed his paintbrush to Tintin. "You are a reporter?"

"I'm a journalist," Tintin said, shrugging his shoulders a little. Meanwhile, Snowy was frantically pawing at Tintin's foot and slowly pacing around. "Be patient, Snowy," Tintin said, occasionally stooping down to give Snowy a small pat on the head. "Not much longer."

Snowy gave a small _hmmph._ At that moment, Snowy's ears pricked up in alert. He turned around and noticed a peculiar figure standing from afar. It was a man! He was quietly standing there, arranged the cuffs of his sleeves. He was wearing dark green gloves as he sighed to himself. Then, in a most mysterious way, the man began maneuvering through the stands. Feeling rather suspicious, Snowy began following the man, without Tintin even noticing.

Snowy kept on the pursuing the mysterious person, trying to follow his tracks. In that instance, the white-haired, spectacle-wearing man swiftly moved behind an unsuspecting patron, silently swiping his wallet. "Oh, I do beg your pardon!" He suddenly said as he had walked away quickly, leaving the person dumbfounded. That same man then tapped another person's shoulder from behind, and while the patron was distracted, he quickly stole the wallet. He then snuck behind another and swiped another wallet, and lighting a small lighter, had lit the person's cigar.

Meanwhile, the artist had finally finished Tintin's portrait. "There," he said, showing Tintin the finished painting. "I believe I have captured something of your likeness." Tintin smiled at his portrait; it looked just like him. But this time, his face had a round head, along with two little black dots for his eyes. The clothes were done simple, and his quiff swayed up in a curved way.

"Huh. Not bad!" Tintin said, smiling. "What do you think, Snowy...?" He then turned to find that Snowy had mysteriously disappeared. Tintin sighed heavily. "Oh Snowy," Tintin mumbled, finally rolling up the portrait and deciding to take it home.

"There you are, sir," Tintin said as he gave the artist a few coins as a tip. Then, he decided to take that time to find his little dog. "Now where's he run off to?" He muttered silently. Wandering through the market, Tintin decided to also take that time to admire his surroundings. He was so busy looking at the different stands that he almost missed the two well-dressed figures, holding up a newspaper to their faces as he walked past them.

"Anything?" The first man had asked. "Nothing," his partner replied.

Tintin then passed by a stand that was selling mirrors of different shapes and sizes. He sighed heavily as he stared at his own reflection staring back at him. Walking by, Tintin smoothed down his quiff for a while, and left it plastered onto his head.

"Snowy?" Tintin called out, as he had felt his quiff poof straight back up to its normal, wavy form. "Snowy!" Tintin then heard a faint barking sound coming from afar. He then turned to find Snowy eagerly prancing back to him. "Snowy!" Tintin said as he stooped down to pet his little dog. "Where have you been, huh? Chasing cats again?" Snowy barked.

As Tintin was rubbing Snowy's fur, he then pricked his head up and noticed something that caught his eye. "Snowy," Tintin whispered, "look at this."

Tintin then got up to arrive at the stall across from him. There, he found the most beautiful model ship encased within a large glass display case. Looking at the model before him, Tintin smiled. It was so intricately built. "Triple masted, double decks, fifty guns!" He muttered, looking at the beautiful details that went into this model. "Oh, isn't she a beauty?"

"That's a very unique specimen, that is," the seller had told Tintin. "From an old sea captain's estate." Tintin then stooped down and read the nameplate. "'The Unicorn'", Tintin read aloud. "Unicorn. Man o'war sailing ship. It's very old, that is," the seller said. "16th century." "17th century, I think it is," Tintin corrected. "Reign of Charles the First," the seller continued. "Charles the Second," Tintin corrected yet again. "That's what I said, Charles the Second," the seller continued. "As fine a ship as ever sailed the seven seas. You won't find another one of these, mate."

Tintin then got to his feet. "And it's only two quid," the seller had told him. Tintin contemplated this price, and immediately had an idea. "I'll give you a pound," Tintin offered. "Done!" The seller said as Tintin gave him the money.

By then, a moustached man in a blue suit began pushing through the crowd. "Gently does it," the seller said as he slowly removed the ship model from the display. "Excuse me!" The man said as he quickly tried to reach the stand. "Here you go. Careful now," the seller said as he handed the model over to Tintin.

By that time, the suited man had reached the stand. "Hey, bud," he said, almost panting. "How much for the boat?" "I'm sorry, I just sold it to this young gent," the seller said as he gestured to Tintin, who smiled almost pridefully. "Oh yeah?" The man asked as he turned to Tintin. "Tell me what you paid, and I'll give you double." "Double?" The seller asked, almost confused.

"Um, thanks," Tintin said, "but it's not for sale."

"Look, kid. I'm trying to help you out," the man had told Tintin. "I don't think you realize this, but you're about to walk into a whole mess of danger." "What kind of danger?" Tintin asked.

The man tried to hurry away. "I'm warning you," he said. "Get rid of the boat, and get out while you still can." He was almost about to disappear into the crowd. "These people do not play nice," he warned.

"What people?" Tintin asked.

"Wonderful," a voice said. Tintin turned around and found a tall man with a mahogany colored suit and coat. He wore small, round glasses and had a dark brown beard that pointed downwards in a triangular position. "It's just wonderful," the man had said. "Don't bother with the wrapping, I'll take it as is. Does anybody object if I pay by check?" He then took out a checkbook. The seller was adamant. "If you want to buy it, you'll have to talk to the kid," he said, pointing to Tintin.

The man eyed Tintin suspiciously. "I see," he said. "Well, let the 'kid' name his price." "Name his price?" The seller had echoed. "Ten year,s I've been flogging bric a brac, and I miss 'name you price' by one bleedin' minute!" He then kept on rambling as he continued speaking. "American, he was," he muttered. "All hair, oil, and no socks..."

"I'm sorry," Tintin said. "But I've already explained to the other gentleman. It's not for sale."

The man seemed like he would not take no for an answer. "Then let me appeal to your better nature," he had said, taking Tintin aside. "I have recently acquired Marlinspike Hall, and this ship, as I'm sure you're aware, was once part of the estate." "Of the late sea captain," Tintin added.

"The family fell upon hard times. Lost everything," the man continued. "They've been living in a cloud of bad luck ever since." He then closed in on Tintin. "We are talking generations of drinking and irrational behavior..."

Tintin then cut him off. "I'm sorry," Tintin said, walking away. "But as I've told you before...It's not for sale." He then turned to the seller in front of him. "Good day to you, sir," he said, and he immediately walked away, carrying the model ship gently in his arms as he proceeded to return home.

The bearded man kept staring at Tintin's direction for a long time. "That young man," he asked, "what's his name?"

"Him?" The seller asked. "Everybody knows him. That's Tintin!"

The man did not answer; he kept staring at Tintin's direction with no turning back.


	4. What is the Secret of the Ship?

(Tintin's side)

Some time later in the afternoon, Tintin had returned back to his apartment, with loads of questions about his ship model buzzing around angrily in his brain. He just had to know what was it about that ship that gained the interest of two people so far. He had to uncover it.

"What is it about this ship?" Tintin questioned as he opened the door and entered his apartment, with Snowy trotting alongside him. "Why has it attracted so much attention?" Tintin then placed the model carefully on top of the drawer, and admired it again, smiling intently. "What secrets do you hold?" He whispered silently. With that, he took off his coat and threw it toward the armchair. He was now ready to uncover this mystery on his own.

Tintin then walked into his office, which was sort of messy and cluttered, but still spacious enough to do his work. Tintin then proceeded to his desk, and pulled open a cabinet drawer. "Where is that magnifying glass?" He wondered to himself as he searched.

Meanwhile, unbeknownst to Tintin, a sly cat was sneaking in through an unlocked window, and silently creeping through the curtains.

"I could've sworn it was over here," Tintin mumbled as he kept trying to find his handy magnifying glass. He kept on pushing aside books and stationery everywhere, trying to look for it. "No," Tintin muttered after looking behind the other side of his desk. "Over here? Where could it possibly be?"

Tintin then kept looking as he passed by several framed newspapers on the wall. They were from all over the world; it was clearly evident that Tintin had been on lots of adventures in his lifetime. He tracked down gangsters in Africa, uncovered a secret crime ring in Egypt, found a missing artifact from South America and had it returned to the Brussels Museum, even returning a stolen royal scepter to the king of Syldavia. Almost everywhere, Tintin and his dog Snowy had been praised for their heroic efforts.

"Snowy, you haven't seen the, uh...?" Tintin asked. "Where is it?" He then found Snowy sitting near the doorway, with something in his mouth. It was his magnifying glass! How could Tintin not have noticed?

Tintin then walked over to Snowy and gently took the magnifying glass. "Thank you," Tintin told Snowy, who wagged his tail eagerly. "Now, to—"

" _Mreeeeeeoooww_!"

Tintin jumped back in surprise, for he found a cat hissing at him. At that moment, Snowy barked crazily and ran for the cat. "No Snowy!" Tintin exclaimed as he chased the two animals. Tintin lunged for the cat, but it sprung from the armchair with its sprightly legs, causing Tintin to fall. The cat then hung from the chandelier for a few seconds until it fell. Tintin felt the cat's tiny but sharp claws digging into his cheeks as the cat landed on his face momentarily.

The cat then ran for the wall as Snowy chased it, accidentally slamming into a photo on the wall. The cat then scurried up the curtains and knocked over a small Chinese vase, which Tintin luckily caught. The cat sped past the ship model as Snowy kept chasing it. Tintin then dove for the cat and tried to snag it by the tail, until he heard a sharp _crack!_ Tintin then looked over his shoulder and found that the ship model had fallen to the floor.

Shocked, Tintin picked up the model, and noticed that one of the masts in the middle had snapped in half. "Look what you did," Tintin told Snowy, wiggling the broken mast. "You broke it!" He then turned to Snowy, now angry. "Bad dog!" Tintin said, scolding Snowy.

While Tintin wasn't looking, a small, silver tube had fallen out of the mast that had snapped in half. Snowy was the first to notice it as it hit the floor. Sniffing at it, Snowy tried to catch it, but Tintin's foot had pushed it further. Snowy began pawing for it, only to push it further under the cabinet.

While still holding the model in his hands, Tintin's mind suddenly lit up. "Something happened on this ship," he muttered. "And we're going to the one place that could have the answer." Tintin then reached for his coat. "Come on, Snowy," Tintin said as he opened the door.

Tintin and Snowy then headed out of the apartment building, proceeding to walk to the library. Inside an abandoned building from across the street, a suspicious man had watched Tintin and Snowy walking away from the apartment. He then held up his binoculars, where he spotted the Unicorn at its resting place.

* * *

(Malina's side)

Malina was hard at work, cleaning the kitchen as she was dusting the vase centerpiece on the dinner table. She didn't feel like sitting around and doing nothing while her sister and aunt were away. If she wanted to keep an eye on the house, she could at least do something productive for a while. She decided she would do just that, by cleaning the house and running some errands for Jenny.

"It's always so important to keep this house looking spick and span while Aunt Jenny and Hanna are breaking new grounds in a faraway place," Malina told herself as she was washing the dishes. "Aunt Jenny will be so proud at how I've kept the house so neat and tidy." After washing the dishes, Malina then proceeded to wipe down the counters and dust the teacups stacked inside the china drawers. Once the dishes were dried, Malina then stacked them neatly inside the cabinets above the counter. Now the kitchen was neat and tidy than ever.

After Malina had finished cleaning the kitchen, Malina looked all around. She sighed heavily. "Think I'll make myself something to eat," she told herself. "Tidying up the kitchen really worked an appetite." She then went to the refrigerator and searched for a snack. There wasn't anything to munch on. Malina shook her head.

"I guess I have to head out and buy the groceries too," Malina said. She then headed over to the bread box. "But not until I eat first, because I'm starving." Malina then sliced two thin slices of bread and reheated some leftover roast from the night before. While capping off her sandwich with lettuce and mustard, Malina then sat down to eat. But somehow, it did not feel the same without Hanna or aunt Jenny.

"I wish I could've gone with them," Malina said silently to herself as she was eating. "But Jenny trusted me to watch the house. I don't want to let her down. Maybe they'll take lots of pictures to show me."

That wish made Malina almost smile. She hoped Jenny and Hanna could take loads of pictures while they were in London. Maybe sometime in the future, they can take her. Just maybe...

Malina finally finished her meal, and went to get a glass of cold water to finish off her meal. It felt refreshing to down a glass of water, especially when it had ice in it. Iced water never felt so good. After that, Malina went to grab a piece of paper and a pencil from Hanna's desk upstairs. She then went to list the items she needed to buy at the grocery store. What she had written down were to get more apples, chicken, broth, milk, cereal, oatmeal mix, eggs, tomatoes, and more butter.

"Well," Malina said to herself, "time to go shopping now."

Malina then went upstairs to get her wallet from her bedroom. Malina then went downstairs to get her black leather jacket and locked the door tightly as she got out.

Malina was able to catch the bus as the sun was slowly moving across the horizon. As she got on, she had told the driver that she wasn't going to town to the flea market again. Apparently she had wanted to avoid a similar incident she had encountered the day before, when those goons had attacked her. There was no way she was going to have a repeat of that incident ever again.

Malina watched as the fields were rolling through the countryside in Antwerp, even checking back to her wallet as she was heading outside of Antwerp, and onwards toward Brussels.

* * *

(Tintin's side)

Meanwhile, as the sun was now setting in Brussels, Tintin had decided to find out more about the supposed secret that the Unicorn was holding. More importantly, he wanted to know why those men, including the one who had tried to buy the model from him, were so interested in such a model as the Unicorn.

By that time, Tintin and Snowy had finally made it to the library in downtown Brussels. As he went inside, he tried to find books on the Unicorn. But, to his dismay, he could not find any that explained the Unicorn separately. Then he realized something; if there were no books focusing solely on the Unicorn, then maybe he should find it in the history books on maritime sailing.

He went directly to the maritime book section, pulled out several books, and proceeded toward a desk to sit down and read through them. Snowy then curled around a chair as Tintin browsed through each book. No luck yet. But as Tintin pulled up one more book, he finally found a section of the book that immediately sparked his interest.

One of the books had a section on the Unicorn!

Snowy then perched on top of a chair right next to Tintin, just as he was preparing to read the story on the Unicorn.

"Here it is, Snowy," Tintin said as he showed Snowy the section on the Unicorn. Then, Tintin looked at the illustration of the Unicorn as he began to read:

"Sir Francis Haddock, of Marlinspike Hall, the last captain of the ill-fated Unicorn. The ship set sail from Barbados in 1676 on one of the most ruinous voyages in maritime history. The ship had never reached its destination. The Unicorn was then attacked by pirates; all hands lost, except for one survivor. When Sir Francis was rescued and returned home, he was convinced his name had been cursed. The Unicorn's manifest stated that it was carrying a cargo of rum and tobacco bound for Europe, but it was long claimed the ship was also carrying a secret cargo."

Tintin paused after that last sentence. If there had been another supply on that ship, what was it that those pirates wanted from it? "What was the ship carrying, Snowy?" Tintin asked. Snowy simply panted and shook his head. Tintin nodded and ran through a few more pages to find out more.

"Historians have tried and failed to discover what happened on that fatal voyage," Tintin read on, "but Sir Francis's last words...'Only a true Haddock will discover the secret of the Unicorn.'"

Tintin was left speechless after reading that last sentence. "'Only a true Haddock will discover the secret of the Unicorn.'" What could that last part mean?! Tintin kept staring at the book for a long time.

From behind, a suspicious figure had been watching Tintin from behind the other bookshelves. He then edged closer to the sections where Tintin was at, bent on trying to catch him. Edging closer, Tintin felt a sudden swish of cold air. He turned around to see who was stalking him. But to his surprise, there was no one.

Tintin was now all alone in the library, which was now dark, save for the lamp on the desk he had sat at. It was dead silent for a moment. Thunder rumbled from outside, causing Tintin to jump back in fear. Tintin decided that he should give the Unicorn model a second look to find out the supposed "secret."

Some hours later, Tintin and Snowy had left the library and proceeded to return back home to the apartment.

Tintin's brain was now buzzing with questions as he had went back upstairs to his apartment. "I've missed something, Snowy," Tintin said, with a snap of his fingers. "We need to take a closer look at that model!"

Tintin then dug a key out of his pocket and opened the door to his apartment. He then went directly toward the drawer from where he had placed the Unicorn model earlier that day. But as he reached the drawer to find, his heart dropped to his stomach. The Unicorn model was no longer there!

Tintin was angry, but still, he needed to know who had taken it.

"Of course it's gone!" Tintin exclaimed. His face had grown dark for a second. "How could I be so stupid?"

As thunder and lightning crackled from outside, Tintin needed a solution to this predicament. So he decided to find the Unicorn straight at the source.

Marlinspike Hall.


	5. Mysteries and Capture

(Tintin's side)

* * *

Later that night, Tintin decided to find where the Unicorn was being held. So he decided it was best to seek it out at where it used to be held: in Marlinspike Hall.

After getting into his car, he and Snowy had made the drive to the long-forgotten estate. Not only did Tintin want to find his Unicorn model over there; he had also wanted to find out what was the supposed curse lurking around the estate. He had so many questions about the Unicorn and its untimely fate in the high seas.

Finally reaching the estate, Tintin got out of the car and made his way toward the front gates. Shining a flashlight through the bars of the gate, Tintin tried to find a handle to open the gates. Then, he tried tugging at the gates to wiggle them open. But alas, they were locked. Tintin then extended his hand through the open space and tried to jiggle the lock open. However, it did not occur to him that he needed a key to open the gates. So there was no luck in trying to open the gate either. As Tintin tried to open the gates, he heard barking from the other side.

Tintin peered around, and found that Snowy had already gone inside! "How'd you do that?" Tintin asked. Snowy barked and pranced toward an open hole in the brick walls. Apparently, someone who was trying to get in obviously tried to break in through the walls.

Tintin then followed Snowy's direction and crawled through the open hole and into the estate's courtyard. "Clever boy," Tintin told Snowy as he barked happily. Tintin then illuminated the path with his flashlight as he walked toward a large, prim, and elegant-looking estate. However, the only thing throwing off its majesty was the entanglement of vines and shrubbery that overran the walls, stairway, and rooftop. Even though the estate was a sight to behold, the dark silence was deafening.

While approaching the front door, Tintin then shone his flashlight above to see if it was the same estate that was described in the book that he had read earlier.

"A coat of arms," Tintin said as he found a peculiar symbol on top of the doorway. "Why does that look familiar?" He then stared at the symbol for a minute, then he blinked his eyes twice. "Wait, hang on a minute," Tintin said. As he squinted his eyes to get a better look, he found that the symbol was a fish encircled in a crown of leaves. "That fish!" He whispered. "It's a haddock." He paused for a moment. "Of course! Marlinspike Hall is the old Haddock estate." He then turned around to find Snowy.

Tintin suddenly heard a low growl. "Sn-Snowy?" Tintin asked.

As he had turned around, Tintin shone his flashlight...and found himself staring back at an angry, aggressive dog!

Tintin then took off for the back gardens, trying to escape the big dog as it chased him. Running through an entanglement of trees and bushes, Tintin tried to throw off the dog's path by thrusting a branch toward it. But the dog had chewed its way through it. Tintin then hopped over a small pond as the dog angrily splashed through the water.

Tintin then tried to run further, only to be stopped by a wall. Dead end! Tintin then turned around, and felt his stomach flip as the dog was running closer to him, preparing to attack him. Tintin then covered his face with his arms, preparing for the worst. However, at the last minute, Snowy had burst in from behind Tintin, barking at the large dog. The dog then paused to listen to Snowy. As Snowy kept barking, the dog took in every bark that was thrown at him. And not too long after that, the big dog was now rolling over on the ground playfully.

"Well done, Snowy!" Tintin said, smiling as he petted Snowy's head. "Good boy!"

...

Snowy pranced around as the big dog was now bouncing merrily around the field and finally rolling over on the ground, exposing his belly. And by that time, Tintin had finally managed to find a way inside the estate. He found a window that was left open and decided to go inside that way. After reaching for the small hook inside, Tintin unlatched the window and climbed on some vines lining the windows, finally making it inside.

Tintin looked all around in the parlor, his flashlight illuminating each corner of the room. The room was so large, and there were tarps covering each chair, table, and every other piece of furniture. It was creepy, to say the least. But Tintin was determined to find where the Unicorn was. Looking around every corner, Tintin could not see where it was. Tintin waved his flashlight around the room...until his eye caught the silhouette of the Unicorn.

Tintin then found something large and rectangular, covered by a dirtied cloth. Tintin then went over to it, and removed the cloth from above it. He found the Unicorn encased from within a large glass display case. Opening the door of the display case, Tintin then reached in and grabbed the Unicorn model. He then inspected it to see if it was his own. Yes, it was his.

"Well, well, well," Tintin muttered. "It seems we've caught our thief."

Tintin suddenly heard a cough. Turning around, he barely missed a shadowy figure towering over him. But it was not long before he felt the cold impact of metal, and a stinging pain in his head.

...

Moments later, Tintin opened his eyes, and found himself lying on the floor. "Oog, agh," Tintin mumbled, slowly getting up. His head was aching furiously as he sat up, bringing his hand to the side of his head and nursing the bruised area.

"Welcome to Marlinspike Hall," a voice had told him. "I see you let yourself in."

Tintin then turned around. It was the same man he had encountered at the flea market earlier! The man then revealed himself to be Ivan Ivanovitch Sakharine. Standing next to him was a middle-aged butler, dressed primly in a black and yellow striped button-up vest, complete with a white shirt and black pants.

Getting up, Tintin reached for the Unicorn model the butler held in his hands. "I came to retrieve my property," Tintin said, grabbing the model but not taking it. "I'm sorry. I'm not sure I follow you," Sakharine had told him as the butler pulled the model back. "Oh, I think you do," Tintin said, pulling the ship model back to himself. "This ship was stolen from my apartment less than an hour ago." "I'm afraid you're mistaken, Mr. Tintin," Sakharine told him again. "There's no mistake," Tintin said, pulling the ship model back to him. "It belongs to me." "Are you sure?" Sakharine questioned.

"Of course I'm sure," Tintin said, gently taking the model from the butler. "I took it home, I put it on a cabinet in the living room, and then Snowy chased the cat and knocked it over, and it..." Tintin suddenly paused, his breath lost as he tried to wiggle the broken mast. But the mast had already been standing in its place, as if it were suddenly repaired by magic.

"It fell," Tintin suddenly murmured, having a sudden realization that this model wasn't what he thought it was. "This isn't my ship."

"No, indeed," Sakharine reminded him. "Oh, I'm sorry," Tintin said apologetically, returning the model back to Sakharine. "It looks identical." "Well," Sakharine said as he returned the model back to its original place, "looks can be deceiving." "Yes, indeed," Tintin said, looking back at the ship's doppelgänger. "But I don't understand. Why did Sir Francis make two ships exactly alike? And you have one already. Why do you want another? What is it about this model that would cause someone to steal it?"

Sakharine smiled almost intimidatingly. "Goodness me, why so many questions?" He asked. "It's my job," Tintin had told him. "There could be a story here. That's what I do, you see."

"Well, it's no great mystery," Sakharine said, guiding Tintin away from the display case. "Sir Francis Haddock was a drunkard, a hopeless reprobate. He was doomed to fail, and he bequeathed that failure to his sons." "So it's true!" Tintin said. "The Haddock line is cursed!"

Tintin proceeded to leave, but was cut short by Sakharine's cane as he stopped him right in his tracks. "What else hav you found out?" Sakharine questioned. Tintin frowned as he pushed the cane away from him. "What is there to find?" Tintin asked. "That depends on what you're looking for," Sakharine told Tintin, once again halting him with his cane. "I'm looking for answers...Mr. Sakharine," Tintin had told him.

Sakharine then shrugged his shoulders in dismay. "Then you're looking in the wrong place," he told Tintin. "It's late. I think you should go home." He then turned to the butler. "Show him out, Nestor," he ordered. "This way, sir," Nestor said as he showed Tintin out of the parlor. Then, Sakharine looked over his shoulder. The ship with the broken mast, the one that had been Tintin's, was now resting on top of a table. He now had his prize.

...

As Tintin was now leaving the estate, Nestor opened the doors for him to leave. "It's a pity, sir," Nestor said. "I'm sorry?" Tintin asked. "That the mast broke on your model ship, sir," Nestor continued. "I hope you found all the pieces." He then told Tintin, in a hushed whisper, "Some things are so easily lost."

"NESTOR!" Sakharine had shouted from inside. "NESTOR! Where are you?!"

"Good night, sir," Nestor said as Tintin had bade him good day. After finding his way back through the gates, Tintin and Snowy all got into his car and drove off, returning back to his apartment.

* * *

(Malina's side)

By that time, Malina was now riding on the bus back home to Antwerp, her hands full of groceries. She managed to catch a store that was open in Brussels for the whole day. So she managed to buy all the groceries she needed on her list. And it was not long before she finally had an armload of groceries that she had carried with her. Granted it may have not been much, but at least Malina was able to finish her errands just before the day ended.

"Last stop for Antwerp!" The driver announced. "Last stop for Antwerp! Anyone gettin' off?"

"That's me!" Malina exclaimed. Ad the bus slowed to a halt, Malina then grabbed the grocery bags and proceeded to get off the bus. "Need any help to carry those bags?" The driver asked Malina. "No thanks, I think I can mange on my own," Malina said. "Thanks! And good night!" The driver then waved goodbye to Malina as she was making her way toward her house. After putting down the bags for a moment, Malina dug out the key from the pocket of her jacket.

Finally going back inside, Malina then headed for the kitchen to put away the groceries. As she was busy organizing the groceries, the phone rang. Malina then finished putting the eggs in the fridge, Malina went to answer the phone. "Hello, this is the Hatchinson household," Malina answered. "Is this Miss Malina Ravenwood?" The voice asked over the phone. "Yes, this is she," Malina answered. "May I have the honor of speaking to a Mademoiselle Jennifer Hatchinson, please?" The voice asked.

"No, I'm afraid you missed her," Malina said. "She's out of town for two weeks; she's in London right now." "Oh. Then may you leave a message for her?" The voice asked. "Yes, what is it?" Malina asked, writing on a piece of paper at the dinner table. "I am calling to inform her that she is to be paid a loan of one thousand euros in exchange for her niece Hanna Ravenwood's tuition fee, so that she may be accepted into the Brussels Harmonic Choir Program." "No way! That's excellent," Malina said. "When do they pick it up?" "Upon their return from where they needed to go, in two weeks," the voice said. "At the Rue d'Marquis in Brussels, near the Civic Hall. You must be so proud of your sister." "I am, really," Malina said. "Thank you. And good day!"

Shortly after Malina had hung up the phone, she got back to organizing the groceries in their rightful places. Finally, after putting away the bread in the cupboard, Malina finally sat down. She then poured herself a glass of milk and proceeded to go upstairs to get ready for bed. But before she could go upstairs, she heard a knock on the door.

"Hello?" Malina asked, proceeding toward the front door. "Now who could be knocking at this time of night?"

She then went to answer the door as the knocks grew more hard and aggressive. Malina then opened the door an in and asked, "Who is it?"

"You are Miss Ravenwood, am I right?" The man who was at the door asked. "The same," Malina said. "What do you want? And why would you even bother to come to my house this late? I was just going to go to bed." "Apologies, madame," the man told her. "I was just coming to deliver this package to you. They told me they have a delivery that must be sent to your address." Malina then gazed out the door and found an unusually large wooden crate. At the gate entrance was a red van.

"Sir, I think you must be mistaken," Malina said, putting on her jacket. "I don't recall getting a phone call about a delivery sent to me. As a matter a fact, I don't recall ever ordering anything. So maybe you should return this package back to your sender and just tell them it was an honest mistake. Maybe they'll give you the correct information."

Malina suddenly had the strange feeling that someone else was behind her. This was getting too strange!

"That's all I need to know," the man said, his voice suddenly growing darker. "Perhaps you can explain that little 'honest mistake' to the boss. Because, as it turns out, YOU are the delivery!"

At that moment, Malina suddenly felt someone grab her arms with one hand. "Hey!" Malina exclaimed when she finally saw who it was. They were the same goons that attacked her yesterday! "What are you doing?! Let me go!" The man who had grabbed her, the trench coat man with the black sailor hat, then used his free hand and plastered a cloth over her face.

"Hey, stop it!" Malina exclaimed, her screaming muffled by the cloth. "Stop—"

Malina suddenly felt her eyes growing heavy. If she had known earlier what was on that cloth, it was chloroform! Malina suddenly felt weak and fell fast asleep.

"Quick! Stuff her in the crate! Quickly!" The man said, handing a now unconscious Malina to the sweatered goons. "Before she comes to!" "Yes, Allan!" Tom said as he and his partner carried Malina over to the wooden crate and stuffed her inside. Then, they hammered the lid of the crate shut. Soon, they carried the crate back to the red van and pushed it inside as they locked the doors. Soon enough, they drove off toward Brussels.

Malina had been kidnapped!


	6. Some Things are Often Lost

(Tintin's side)

* * *

Later that night, as he was now walking through the streets of Brussels, Tintin was still pondering those last few words that that butler had told him. For some reason, they were now echoing around his mind. And he just had to know what those words were meant to say.

"Some things are easily lost," Tintin echoed yet again, the words resonating in his tongue. "What did he mean by that, Snowy?" Snowy looked up at Tintin and shrugged his shoulder, giving a slight woof. Tintin sighed. "What was he trying to tell me?" Tintin asked again. "Some things are easily lost." He repeated that phrase again, hoping not to forget it as he kept walking down the street back home.

As Tintin made it back to his apartment, he was just about to dig into his coat pocket for his keys when Snowy pranced up the stairs and to their flat. Snowy's ears flattened as he growled, noticing that the door to Tintin's flat was slightly jarred open. "Snowy," Tintin whispered.

When Tintin finally opened the door to his flat, he switched on the door side lamp and gasped. "Great snakes!" He exclaimed. He noticed that his whole apartment was a complete wreck. A few of the armchairs were turned over, books had been spilled out from their shelves and onto the floor, even the kitchen was a mess. Tintin eventually realized his place had been robbed. Shaking his head angrily, Tintin surveyed the whole perimeter, wondering if anything else had been taken. Not one thing. At least that was safe. For now.

Suddenly, Snowy began pawing at the cabinet, barking. "What is it, Snowy?" Tintin asked. Snowy didn't answer; he just kept pawing at the cabinet with his front legs, motioning for Tintin to approach him. Tintin then understood and pushed the cabinet toward the direction of the coffee table and sofa. That was when Tintin came across a small, sleek, silver tube. "What's this?" Tintin asked as he picked up the tube.

His eyes suddenly lit up.

"Aha!" Tintin exclaimed. "This was in the mast!" Tintin then sat on an armchair as he turned on his couch side lamp, removing the lampshade. "Good boy, Snowy," Tintin told his little dog. Then, he unscrewed the lid of the tube, which revealed a small yellowed, stained piece of parchment. Grabbing his magnifying glass, Tintin gasped. This was no ordinary parchment. It was a scroll!

"Let's see," Tintin mumbled as he took another look at the writing on the paper, which was written with old ink. "'Three brothers joined,'" Tintin read. "'Three Unicorns in company...sailing in the noonday sun will speak. For 'tis from the light...that light will dawn, and then shines forth the Eagle's Cross." Tintin then noticed some odd-looking markings on the parchment. They almost looked like some sort of ancient symbols for something.

"What are these markings?" Tintin asked as he put his magnifying glass closer. He couldn't decipher those markings. "Some kind of secret language? Or code? It makes no sense." Tintin then realized something. "But it does explain why they ransacked the flat," he told Snowy. "They were looking for this, and they didn't find it." His face had grown dark. "Which means," Tintin said, staring at the window in front of him, "they'll be back."

Tintin suddenly heard a knock at the door downstairs. Who was at the door this time of night?

...

Tintin then put the parchment, all folded up, in his wallet, and he quietly slid the wallet into his back pocket as he went outside of his flat to investigate. His free hand was holding a gun. Tintin then slowly approached the main foyer as he heard Mrs. Finch, the landlady of the apartment building, speaking to someone behind a latched door.

"No, I don't know where he is, dearie. I think he's gone out," Mrs. Finch was telling the stranger outside. "And anyway, it's after dark, and Mr. Tintin is most particular about not admitting visitors after bedtime. I have to go back to my cocoa. I've got a very good book and a cup of cocoa. It's really lovely."

"Thank you, Mrs. Finch," Tintin told her. "I can look after this." With a slight nod of her head, Mrs. Finch then headed back to her flat.

Tintin stood a little far apart, but still near, from the doorway. Peering a little from behind the latched door, he tried to find who it then noticed a familiar mustached figure, wearing a blue suit and matching hat. Tintin gasped a little. It was the other man who tried to buy the model ship from him!

"Hey kid," the man asked, "is that you? Open the door." Tintin would not budge; he needed an answer as to what was going on. "What do you want?" Tintin asked. "Look, the game is up," the man whispered to him. "He's gonna be back. Now, I know he wanted those boats, but I swear to God, I never thought he'd kill anyone over it!" Tintin slowly reached from behind and pulled out his gun in defense.

"Who? Who are you talking about?" Tintin questioned. "I'm trying to tell you that your life is in danger," the man pressed on. "Answer me!" Tintin yelled. "Who?!"

Suddenly, gunshots rang out, scattering through the building. Tintin dropped to the ground, bracing for cover from the shots. Snowy, who had been watching from the stairs, covered his face with his paw. The shots continued, followed by silent cursing and barking orders. Tintin then heard a soft but brief gasp of air from outside. Then suddenly, without any pause or continuation, the gunshots ceased.

Tintin then heard the door slowly creak open. Tintin got to his feet, preparing to shoot the intruder who was about to attack him. But as the door opened, Tintin then noticed the blue-suited man standing at the doorway. He held a newspaper in one hand, and held his chest with the other. Suddenly, as he was about to take a few steps inside, he immediately fell over and collapsed.

"Mrs. Finch!" Tintin exclaimed, trying to aid the wounded man. "A man's been shot on our doorstep!" Mrs. Finch, who had been listening from inside her flat, went out to the foyer to see what the commotion was about. She then noticed Tintin kneeling next to the man lying motionless on the floor. "Not again," Mrs. Finch said, as if she had clearly seen some action like this before. "Call an ambulance!" Tintin said. Mrs. Finch immediately nodded and headed straight for the nearest phone.

Snowy then began barking and bounded for the door. "No, Snowy!" Tintin exclaimed as he chased for his dog. He then noticed a red and black van speeding down the street, straight for the docks. But Tintin managed to catch Snowy in time before he got lost.

Back inside the apartment building, the man slowly picked himself up. With his last bit of strength, he removed his hand, covered in blood, from his wounded chest and reached for his newspaper. He then began marking a few letters on the newspaper's headline with a bloodied finger.

Tintin then ran back to aid the wounded man. "Sir?" Tintin asked. "Sir, can you hear me? Can you?" "The clues," the man whispered faintly. "I've marked them for..." And right after he marked the last letter in blood, he fell back on the floor, dead.

As Tintin and Snowy went back inside the building, Tintin gasped, for the man he had tried to help was now dead. But what really caught Tintin's eye was the newspaper on the floor. Picking up the newspaper, Tintin noticed the letters marked with blood. They had to be clues. So, Tintin decided to call upon some people who would know what this mystery was leading to.

Thompson and Thomson.

* * *

(Malina's side)

Malina suddenly found herself inside a cramped space. She could hear the engine of a van rumbling along the street. She didn't remember what had happened that night. Nor could she remember hearing those gunshots when the van was speeding through Brussels. But where was she exactly?

"Where am I?" Malina muttered. "What am I doing here, in this crate? Why did they just come to my house and poison me with chloroform?" She desperately tried to find a way out. "HELP ME!" Malina said, knocking on the walls of the crate as she was crying out for help. "Somebody help me! I need to get out of here! Please! Somebody kidnapped me and stuffed me in this crate! Please, someone get me out of—!"

Malina's pleas for help were suddenly cut off by a sharp blow to the crate. "Quiet, girl!" A male voice shouted. "Don't make me kill ya!" Malina pouted and sat herself down inside the crate. "Now how am I gonna find a way out of here?"

Malina could hear the goons talking, so she pressed herself against the wall of the crate to find out what they were saying.

"You sure this is the girl we need for this operation?"

"I'm positive. She was the one who was about intercept information about the Unicorn. She knows everythin'."

"But of all suspects here in this backwater town, why do ya choose this one, Allan?"

"Because she knows maritime vessels, both inside and out. So I bet she'd know all about that there model ship, Tom."

"But you saw what she's like, Allan. She'd escape the first try. She might even try to contact the police."

"She won't be goin' anywhere where we're headed. Either she explains what she knows to the boss, or we're throwin' her in for the sharks. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes, Allan."

...

Malina was now scared. "If they kill me, they're not going to get away with this," she muttered. "First thing, after they arrive at their destination, I'm going to beat them to a pulp. The minute they open this box, pow! I'm gonna run straight out of here, and hopefully be able to contact the police. They'll know what to do."

Malina then tried to push open the lid of the crate. But she was not able to get it open. "Why can't I get this open?" She mumbled. "It's like they nailed the lid down hard enough for me to get out."

That was when Malina finally realized the truth. The crate was nailed down!

"Rats!" Malina whispered. "Well, there goes my last attempt at freedom. Now there's nothing else to do except wait and wonder when we'll be docking soon." Malina then sat in the crate for a long time, waiting for a sign that the van would stop driving after a while.

Malina then caught a whiff of something salty. She then began to hear seagulls cawing from above. Malina then heard the far off whistle of a steam ship piercing the sky. That was when it hit Malina. "We must be at the docks!" Malina whispered. "This is right near the police station at Interpol. Maybe I'll be able to break out of this box and make a break for it. Maybe I'll them they kidnapped me and brought me to this—"

Malina suddenly paused, for she heard car doors opening, and footsteps. The footsteps grew louder as they neared the carriage. "Oh no," Malina said, "They found me. Gotta be silent." Malina then wrapped a lone kerchief round her mouth.

By then, the two goons had reached into the carriage and pulled out the crate with brute force. "Load it on the dolley!" Allan ordered. "Secure it with ropes!" The two sweatered men then loaded the crate onto a cart and tied down the crate with heavy rope. Allan then held the cart and began wheeling the crate toward the deck runway, toward a large cargo ship. The large words embedded on the ship read "KARABOUDJAN".

"Here we are," Allan said as he finally stopped the cart onto the deck of the cargo ship, with his two sweatered minions following behind him. "Open her up." He then turned to a bearded man, wearing a mahogany suit and coat, with small rounded glasses. "We brought the suspect. As promised, Mr. Sakharine," he told the man. "She refused to disclose information with us."

"That's too bad," Sakharine told Allan. "Maybe we can have better luck with her if we lock her in alongside that dratted captain of this ship."

The two other goons, with hammers, then removed the nails from the crate. Together, they opened the crate. The man with the red sweater then grabbed Malina by the collar of her leather jacket and removed the kerchief from her mouth. Malina suddenly gasped.

"Well, well, well," Sakharine said to Malina. "Welcome aboard the Karaboudjan. We've been expecting you...Miss Ravenwood."

* * *

(Okay, I think I may stop intertwining between Tintin and Malina at this chapter. But there may be a case in which I do decide to do this format again. But only time will tell. For the time being, enjoy the rest of the story, if you please!)


	7. Chasing Down the Story

(Now, for the rest of this story, I will be combining both of Tintin and Malina's sides to the story, in order to avoid any confusion for some readers. But if I do want to write a personal side as they're interacting with each other, I may add a little side to their story. But for now, they'll be interwoven together as the story goes. So for now, hope you enjoy reading this and the next few chapters. Hope you like it!)

* * *

The next morning, Tintin had woken up, bright and early. The night before, Tintin had made the phone call to Thompson and Thomson at Interpol to come help him with the case. Luckily, for him, they had both agreed to investigate the case and help Tintin. Tintin just had to know what the marked letters were trying to tell him; that was one of the biggest clues for him.

They were the letters marked on the newspaper.

Pulling himself out of bed, Tintin smiled. "This is it, Snowy," Tintin said, as his little dog stretched sleepily on his cushion. "Today, the Thompsons may provide me with answers about the marked letters on this newspaper." While pouring in some hot water for his tea, Tintin prepared some toast with marmalade.

"I can't believe it's today," Tintin said as he began eating. "Maybe the Thompsons will help me out with this case. And if they manage to find the answer to this clue, then I'll be this close to solving the Unicorn's mystery."

While looking at the newspaper he had retrieved in the foyer the night before, Tintin sipped his cup of tea dutifully as he spread more marmalade on his toast. After finishing up his toast, Tintin prepared himself some eggs, with a few cooked slices of ham. Enjoying his breakfast, Tintin held his head high. He certainly had pride in himself that he would eventually come closer to solving the mystery.

Having finally tucked into his breakfast, Tintin then headed for the bathroom and got the warm water started in the bathtub. Tintin thought it would be best to at least make himself look presentable. After taking off his pajamas and sitting in the bathtub, Tintin began scrubbing his face and arms as he was washing himself. It felt good to be clean.

A few minutes later, Tintin finally got out of the tub and began to dry himself as he went back to his room. He then dressed himself in his white button-up shirt, brown trousers, brownish-black socks, and brown shoes. Tintin then rolled up the sleeves as he put on his blue pullover. Tintin then took the opportunity to roll up the sleeves of his sweater.

Later that afternoon, Tintin sat on his armchair, waiting for the Thompsons to arrive. As Snowy was circling around Tintin's feet, Tintin got down to pat Snowy on the head. "They'll be here soon," Tintin told him. "I just know it."

As if on cue, Tintin heard a knock on his door. "Who could that be?" Tintin asked as he got up to answer the door. There, he found two familiar detectives at the door. "Thompson and Thomson!" Tintin said. "Come in!" "Pleasure to come here," Thompson said, his arm locked with Thomson's arm. "Precisely," Thomson said. as they both entered the flat, they both nearly tripped and fell face first.

"Are you two okay?" Tintin asked. "That's our job, Mr. Tintin," Thompson said, his head in a lampshade. "We're always front and center on the case!" "Yes we are, to be precise!" Thomson had added.

As they both got up, Thompson brushed the dust off of his jacket. "Now then," Thompson said, clearing his throat, "what exactly did you call us for, Mr. Tintin?" "To be precise, why did you want us to come here?" Thomson had asked Tintin. Tintin smiled and smoothed his pullover. "Well," Tintin said, "I have called you two here to investigate something I found." He then pulled out the newspaper he had retrieved the other day.

"Could you two please tell me what kind of clues are on this newspaper?" Tintin asked. "Hmmm, let's see here," Thompson said, taking the newspaper and examining the marked letters. He and Thompson both examined the newspaper for about a few more minutes, nodding their heads in intrigue. Then, after a while, Thompson delivered the paper back to Tintin.

"Now," Thompson asked, "may I ask ya where you got this here newspaper from?" "Well, some gentleman who was at the apartment carried it with him before he was shot to death," Tintin said. "He wore a blue suit, with a matching hat. And he had a mustache. And spoke with an American accent."

"Hmm, interesting," Thompson said, stroking his mustache. That was when he noted something familiar about the description of the gentleman that Tintin had described. "I bet we know who this victim you have described is," Thompson said. "You do?" Tintin asked.

Thomson then approached Tintin with the answer.

...

"The victim's name was Barnaby Dawes," Thomson answered. "He was one of the top agents at Interpol, but we haven't got a clue as to what he was working on." "Quite right, Thomson," Thompson said, pondering the situation. "We're completely clueless." Tintin, still holding the newspaper in his hands, already wanted an answer. "So," Tintin said, "Interpol doesn't have any other leads?"

"Steady on, Tintin," Thompson warned. "We're still filling out the paperwork." "Police work's not all glamour and guns. There's an awful lot of filing," Thomson boasted.

That's when it hit Tintin. Taking a pencil from the table, Tintin approached the Thompsons. "Well, I might have something for you," Tintin said. "Before he lost consciousness, Dawes tried to tell me something, and I think he was spelling out a word." Tintin then looked at the marked letters and wrote down the word in which they were trying to spell out.

"Let's see," Tintin mumbled, "B, O, U..." He then noticed the marked letters on the smaller headlines as he wrote them down. "D, J, A, N," Tintin said as he wrote those last four letters. Then, he held up the newspaper to read out what he had spelled.

"'Karaboudjan,'" Tintin read.

"Karaboudjan?" Thomson echoed as he took the newspaper from Tintin. "Does that mean anything to you?" Tintin asked, hoping he could finally get an answer. "Great Scotland Yard!" Thomson exclaimed. "That's extraordinary!" "What is?" Tintin asked eagerly. "Worthington's having a half-price sale on bowler hats!" Thomson said, smiling.

"Really, Thomson!" Thompson said, snatching the newspaper from Thomson. He was clearly not in the mood for such meager distraction. "This is hardly the time—" Thompson then found something that caught his eye. "Great Scotland Yard!" He exclaimed. "What is it?" Both Thomson and Tintin asked.

"Canes are half-price too!" Thompson said eagerly.

Tintin was now getting impatient. "Ugh, I give up," Tintin said, taking the newspaper form Thompson. "Are you going to take charge of this evidence or not?"

"Positively," Thomson said dutifully. "Never fear, Tintin. The evidence is safe with us!"

As Thomson was exiting the flat, he accidentally tripped on a cat that was grooming itself at the doorway. The cat then screeched as it felt its tail being stepped on. Thomson then slid and fell downstairs. The cat then scurried off down the stairs, just as Snowy was barking at the mischievous cat.

"Thomson!" Thompson called out. "Where are you?"

"Well, I'm already downstairs," Thomson said, still seated on the floor as his hat rolled downstairs next to him. "Do try to keep up."

...

The sky was now beginning to grow foggy just as the Thompsons were now leaving the building. "Wait!" Tintin called out. "Ah?" Thompson asked. "You dropped this," Tintin said, giving him the newspaper. "Good heavens, Thomson!" Thompson said, berating Thomson. "Look after the evidence, man." "Yes," Thomson said. "Sorry Thompson. My mind is on other things."

"Ah, yes," Thompson said. "Our light-fingered larcenist."

"Your what?" Tintin asked.

"The pickpocket," Thompson reminded Tintin. "Ah," Tintin said.

"He has no idea what's comin'," Thompson said, smiling.

Thomson then thought now would be the time to show Tintin something interesting. "Go on, Tintin," Thomson said, opening his jacket. "Take my wallet."

Tintin seemed hesitant, but he went right on and reached for Thomson's wallet. That was when he found something attached to the wallet, a sort of chain. Thomson smiled with pride. "Yes, industrial strength elastic," Thomson said. "Oh," Tintin said. "Very, uh...resourceful."

"On the contrary," Thomson said. "It was childishly simple." "Simply childish. I agree," Thompson said. Then they both tipped their hats. "Tintin," they both said. "Gentlemen," Tintin said as he bade them both farewell."

Tintin watched as the two detectives walked down the street. Suddenly, Snowy's ears pricked up. He began to walk down the street.

"Mind you, I expect he's miles away by now," Thomson told Thompson. "I presume you're referring to the pickpocket?" Thompson asked. "Yes. I mean, knowing we're just a few steps behind him," Thomson said.

Snowy gave a slight woof and began walking away from Tintin. "Hm?" Tintin asked. "Snowy, what is it, boy?" Tintin then began to follow Snowy as his little dog was prancing down the street. "What do you see?" Snowy sniffed around and noticed a man slowly walking toward the Thompsons' direction.

"I don't suppose you'd fancy a cup of tea?" Thompson asked. "You're quite mistaken," Thomson remarked. "I'd love one. My treat!"

At that moment, the man silently walked past Thomson, swiftly snatching up his wallet. As he tried to get away, he accidentally pulled Thomson by the jacket. That small chain attached to his wallet sure did work a little too well!

"Oooh!"

"I've got you now!" Thomson exclaimed as he tried to catch the culprit. The pickpocket then tried to escape as he let go of Thomson's wallet. Thomson then saw his wallet zoom back to him, hitting him in the face. "You, devil!" Thompson yelled out as he chased down the thief. "Stop, in the name of the law!"

Thompson managed to chase the thief down and snag him by the jacket. "Got you!" Thompson exclaimed. But the pickpocket managed to slip out of his jacket and escape. This left Thompson scurrying behind him, ultimately slamming face first into a lamppost.

From afar, Tintin had been watching the whole scene unfold. "What's going on down there?" Tintin asked Snowy. "Come on, Snowy." Tintin and Snowy then ran to assist the Thompsons. At that moment, Tintin bumped into the man they had been chasing. "Ooh!" The man exclaimed. "Sorry sir!" Tintin said. "Oh, I do beg your pardon!" The man said as he quietly slipped away. Tintin then approached Thompson, who was still on the sidewalk. "The pickpocket, Tintin!" Thompson managed to cry out. "He's getting away!"

At that moment, Tintin felt his back pocket and lost his breath. That pickpocket took his wallet!

"My wallet!" Tintin said under his breath. "It's gone!" He then turned to find the thief casually disappearing into the light fog in the streets. "Come on!" Tintin said, calling for Snowy. "Snowy, after him!" He then tried to flag down the thief. "Stop!" he exclaimed. "Wait!"

Tintin then ran into the streets, trying to pursue the pickpocket, nearly missing passing cars. Each car honked at Tintin as he was feverishly trying to catch the thief. With each new attempt, Tintin nearly got run over by each new passing car. Snowy was barking crazily. Tintin was just about to catch the thief until he felt a can hook him round his body. He then felt himself and Snowy being pulled out of the street.

"Gotcha!" Thompson said as he caught Tintin in his arms. "Steady on, now," Thomson said as he carried Snowy down after catching him. "I've lost him!" Tintin said. He then turned to the Thompsons. "You must find my wallet," Tintin told them. "It's very important. I have to get it back."

"And you will," Thompson said, smiling. "Leave it to the professionals."

...

Later on, Tintin and Snowy slowly returned back to the apartment building. "We've lost the scroll," Tintin said. "But we haven't lost our story." He then pondered the second clue he had found. "'Karaboudjan'...it's an Armenian word," Tintin said. "That's our lead, Snowy." Tintin then snapped his fingers. "What was Barnaby Dawes trying to tell us when he said our lives were in danger?"

As Tintin returned safely to the apartment building, Tintin tried to get inside, but was stopped by a burly man with a trench coat ad a black sailor hat. "Mr. Tin...Tin?" He asked. "Yes, that's me," Tintin said. "Delivery for ya," the man had told him. Tintin turned around and found two men, wearing red and blue sweaters, carrying a ridiculously large wooden crate to the doorway.

"But I didn't order anything," Tintin said.

"Well," the man behind him had said, "that's because it's YOU getting delivered!"

Tintin suddenly felt a large hand plastering a chloroform-laced cloth over his mouth. Tintin struggled to escape, but immediately blacked out the second the smell of the cloth hit his face. The two men then grabbed Tintin and stuffed him in the wooden crate, which read "Bound for Karaboudjan". "Quick! Get him in the van!" The man in the trench coat ordered.

Snowy began barking angrily as the men loaded the crate onto the van. Snowy then noticed the man in the trench coat and immediately bit his ankle in fury. "Agh!" The man exclaimed, crying out in pain. "Get off me, you confounded mutt!" But Snowy still sank his jaws into his ankle. "He bit me!" The man exclaimed. He then shook off Snowy, throwing him inside. He then climbed into the van as he drove off.

Snowy then shook the dirt off his fur as he made a break for Tintin's apartment flat, the door unlocked. Snowy then pounced out from the open window, barking as he chased down the moving vehicle. Trying to avoid collision with passing cars, Snowy then hopped on the basket carriage of a passing bicycle. Snowy then found the red van and immediately sprung forward, landing on a passing fire truck.

Soon, the van had slowed to a halt at a stop nearby. The fire truck also paused abruptly, causing the ladder on top to move forward...with Snowy on it! Snowy hung on to the ladder, his legs dangling below him.

From inside the van, the two goons found a pair of furry legs in front of the windshield. "Huh?" The man in the red sweater asked. As soon as the fire truck had bumped into the van to get it to move, Snowy fell flat on the hood of the van. "Oh!" The two goons said, gasping. "Quick, get him off!" The man in the trench coat shouted from behind. "Shake him off! And run him over after!"

The van then began swerving in different directions, trying to get Snowy to fall off. It eventually succeeded, as Snowy fell to the street, landing on his feet. Snowy then pouted as the van took off. Luckily, Snowy caught a passing bicycle with a carriage in the back. Snowy then hopped on to the carriage as the vehicle was making its way toward the docks.

Meanwhile, the goons had made it to the docks. "I want this on the starboard side! Quickly!" The man had ordered. His minons agreed and loaded the crate on the dolly.

Soon enough, Snowy had made it to the docks. Hopping off the carriage, Snowy found the van heading straight for the deck. Snowy barked as he tried to pounce toward its direction. Snowy missed and fell into the middle of a heard of cows. Snowy was still determined, so he ran toward the deck, while arousing the surprise of many cows. Snowy then barked as the ship was preparing to disembark.

Snowy caught the ship in time and launched himself from the deck, landing on the anchor of the ship as it sailed away from the docks and towards the unknown destination.


	8. Kidnap and Torture

(Aboard the Karaboudjan)

* * *

Later, as the sun was setting over the horizon of the sea, the ship had now sailed farther away from Brussels, and toward the unknown. There was no way of knowing where this ship was heading. But one thing was for certain: the ones behind this mysterious voyage was still in search of the supposed treasure hidden by the ill-fated Unicorn. They would stop at nothing to find the Unicorn's treasure.

...

"Oof...where am I...?"

Hours later, Tintin finally awoke, feeling woozy from inhaling the chloroform earlier. His head aching, Tintin tried to move, but be found that his hands were tied to something. His vision was blurred a little, but he could make out an image of a cage inside a dark room. He then began to see two men prodding and pinching him in several parts.

"Not here. Look your side!"

"Hang on...Nothing here."

"Well, check that pocket, Tom!"

"No, I've looked in this one already. I'm sure of it."

"Well, have a look in his socks!"

Tintin was now fully awake, and found himself to be inside a cage of some sort. And in some kind of cargo hold. But where exactly? He didn't know.

Later on, Sakharine had entered the hull, determined to have an answer. "Have you found it?" He asked. "He doesn't have it," his minion, Allan, had said. Clearly, he was unable to find whatever was hidden on Tintin. "It's not on him, boss," his partner Tom had answered. "It's not here." Sakharine was furious. "Not here? Then where is it?!" He demanded.

"Where's what?" Tintin questioned.

 _Bang!_ Sakharine had rammed the bars of the cage with his cane, startling Tintin. "I am tired of your games," Sakharine had said. "The scroll, from the Unicorn! A piece of paper, like this!" Sakharine then dangled a similar piece of ancient parchment in front of Tintin's face. Tintin then recognized the lettering on the scroll. "You mean the poem?" he asked.

Sakharine lit up. "Yes," he said.

"The poem written in Old English," Tintin said. "Yes," Sakharine said again. "It was inside a cylinder," Tintin muttered. "Yes," Sakharine said, getting more impatient. "Concealed in the mast," Tintin concluded. "Yes!" Sakharine said once more, hoping he could get an answer from Tintin.

Instead, Tintin simply smiled. "I don't have it," he had said.

His face growing dark, Sakharine whipped open his cane, revealing a sharp sword blade at the tip, pointing it directly at Tintin's face. Apparently, his cane had also doubled as a rapier. "You know the value of that scroll," he told Tintin. "Why else would you take it?" Tintin pondered the question, swallowing hard. "Two ships and two scrolls, both part of a puzzle. You have one, you need the other," Tintin muttered. "But that's not it. There's something else."

Sakharine then got down to Tintin's level. "I will find it," he told Tintin, "with or without your help. You need to know exactly how useful you are to me." He then tucked the rapier back into its scabbard as he turned to face Allan. "We'll deal with him on the way," he told him. "Aye-aye, sir," Allan said. Then, they both left Tintin in the cargo hull, alone.

"Hold this course," Sakharine ordered. Allan nodded and closed the door of the hull, barely missing a white blur dash in. Inside the hull, Snowy had shaken himself dry, for he was drenched from hanging around in the anchor slightly above the sea.

Noticing Tintin, Snowy barked happily and went to greet his friend. "Snowy!" Tintin exclaimed as Snowy was licking him. "It's good to see you too. See if you can chew through these ropes."

Snowy nodded and began tugging at the ropes with his teeth, trying to free Tintin's hands.

...

Outside at the front deck, Sakharine was pacing around furiously. He had tried to get a possible answer from Tintin about the supposed location of the Unicorn's riches. And, as intended, Tintin was unwilling to cooperate with him on the issue.

"He's lying! He must have the scroll!" Sakharine said. "The question is, what has he done with it?" "We searched him all over, boss," Tom had told him. "Nothin'." "Then I want you to go back in there and make him talk," Sakharine demanded. "Break every bone in his body if you have to!"

"And what do you suppose we do with that girl?" Tom asked. Sakharine smiled. "Hmmm, seeing that she isn't going to going to give in any sooner or later, she might not be that much use to us," Sakharine said. "We've kept her as our prize. You can do what you want with her. Cut her. Or better yet, throw her in the ocean, right after you shoot her. Along with the sharks." "That's nasty," Tom told him. "You know the stakes. You know what we're playing for," Sakharine ordered. "Just do it!"

"Mr. Sakharine! Mr. Sakharine!"

Sakharine turned and found a solidly built sailor running toward him, his face wild as he panicked. "All hell has broken loose! It's a disaster!" the sailor exclaimed in a broad, Spanish accent. "The captain has come around!" "What?" Sakharine asked.

"He's conscious. He's accusing you of mutiny," the sailor explained. "He says you turned the crew against him." Sakharine shook his head angrily. "And the girl?" he questioned. "Absolutely nothing. She refused to say a word," the sailor said. "She says she'll threaten to beat us to a pulp and call for the police if we try any other tricks!"

Allan grinned. "Sounds like he's sobered up again," he sneered. "And that little brat won't give us the information we need."

"Well don't just stand there!" Sakharine ordered. "Get him another bottle! And make the girl talk or else she'll end up dead with the captain!"

" _Si, senor,_ " the sailor said.

"Aye, sir!" Allan and Tom both answered as they went back to the hull.

...

Back inside the hull, Snowy had successfully managed to free Tintin. Tintin then found a key to get out of the cage. He then found a wooden plank on the floor and rammed it between the lock and door. Nodding, Tintin then grabbed a board and covered up the window of the door.

Looking around, Tintin tried to find something that would help him escape. Walking around the hull, Tintin accidentally bumped into a large crate. "Whoa!" he exclaimed as the crate made a loud bang. "Okay." Tintin then pushed the crate toward a nearby porthole. Opening up the window, Tintin looked out, hoping to find the nearest shore.

Nothing but ocean for miles. That was when Tintin heard something. It sounded like someone singing a disjointed chantey. He looked overheard and found a lit porthole.

Back outside the hull, Allan tried to open up the door, but it was locked tight. Grunting, he tried to push it open. "Jiggle it a bit, it's just stuck," Tom suggested. "Jiggle?" Allan questioned. "Here," Tom said, pushing Allan aside as he tried to open the door himself. But he was unlucky, for the door remained locked. "What're you doing?" Allan asked, pushing Tom aside. "Get off!" He then tried to push the door, but it was still closed. "It's not stuck, you idiot. He's bolted it from the inside!" Allan said.

From inside the hull, Tintin could hear Allan shouting, "You wanna play like that, do you, Tintin?!"

Allan turned to Tom. "Get the TNT," he ordered. "Aye, sir," Tom assured as he left.

...

Tintin felt a chill up his neck. He then looked all around the hull, hoping to find something that would help him get out of the hull before it was blown to bits. "Hmm, let's see," Tintin muttered as Snowy was playing around the crates. "Broken crates. Champagne. What else do we have, Snowy?"

Meanwhile, outside the hull, Allan was busy lining the wall and floor with fuses. Tom was inserting dynamite into the lock, his hands trembling as he did. "There are other ways to open this door," Allan muttered, his plan coming along perfectly. He frowned as he saw Tom pitifully trying to insert the sticks of dynamite into the lock. "They'll be swabbing the decks with your innards when we're done with you."

Back inside, Tintin found an old crate with loose boards. Working swiftly, Tintin then removed a board from the crate.

"Give it here!" Allan snapped at Tom as he snatched the stick of dynamite from him and inserted it into the lock himself.

Tintin then came a cross a piece of old rope on the floor. Smiling, he picked it up and wrapped it around the board, fashioning a makeshift grappling hook. Now to test it...

...

Outside, Allan struck a match across Tom's beret. Tom then looked up abruptly, not even noticing that a match was struck on him. Allan then stooped down and lit the dynamite fuse.

Tintin then popped out from the porthole of the hull, slowly swinging the makeshift hook and preparing to launch it. As the awful chanting grew louder, Tintin swung the hook faster. Releasing it, Tintin hoped it would catch the open porthole. Unfortunately, it fell, hitting Tintin flat on the head.

"Ow!" Tintin exclaimed.

Shaking off the pain, Tintin tried again once more, swinging the hook even harder.

Outside the hull, Tom and Allan were bracing for cover as the fuse was nearing the dynamite. "Don't move," Allan told Tom, pushing him down. "What..." Tom said, fearfully cowering behind Allan.

Tintin then released the hook. It entered through...

...

 ** _BOOOOOOOM!_**

The hull exploded, finally bursting open the door.

"Let's go!" Allan ordered as a group of sailors, all carrying guns, ran in. "Let me have 'im!" A sailor shouted. They all began opening fire, hoping to find Tintin in there. Firing his gun, Tom tried to find their prisoner. "He's got a big shooter!" He shouted, amidst the sounds of guns firing.

Suddenly, Tom felt something dart straight at him, hitting him in the chest. "He got me!" Tom exclaimed, grasping his chest as he fell to the floor. Soon enough, the sailors began to hear more popping sounds as they grew sharp in tone. Some of them even fell to the floor.

Allan then stooped down to see what the "bullet" was that supposedly shot Tom. He picked it up, and noticed that it was not a bullet at all. It was nothing more than a mere champagne bottle cork!

"Hold your fire!" Allan ordered, waving his hand. The sailors then stopped firing their guns.

Pulling out his gun, Allan and Tom then snuck inside, thinking the weapon was in here somewhere. Allan then felt something wet trickling toward his shoe. Walking toward the front, he then noticed an open crate full of champagne bottles. Each bottle was leaking champagne as it trickled down to the floor.

"He ain't here," Allan said. "He's vanished." At the moment he said that, a champagne bottle popped open, launching its cork and hitting Tom clean in the head. Tom then fell over, stunned.

"He's hiding," Allan declared. He turned to his henchmen. "Search the ship!" Allan ordered.

"Quickly!"


	9. A Maze to the Lifeboats

(Into the cabin)

* * *

From inside the cabin, a sea captain with a bushy black beard laid on a table inside his cabin, dazed but unharmed. He felt that nasty blow to his head, but he had no idea where it came from. Aside from him, Malina got up from the bunk and examined the board tied to a rope as it clung to the open porthole. "What in the devil's name is this?" Malina wondered aloud. She then turned to the captain.

"Sir, what is that? Where did it come from?"

The captain simply mumbled some gibberish talk under his breath. Picking himself up, he rubbed his hand on the back of his head, nursing the bruised area. On the floor and the table, whiskey bottles were strewn everywhere. Then, Malina heard a faint barking.

At that moment, Snowy popped up, entering through the porthole. Barking, he leapt inside, landing on the table. "Aaagh!" The captain exclaimed, jumping out of his seat and bumping into a birdcage. "A giant rat of Sumatra!" He then got his head stuck inside the birdcage. A minute later, Tintin peeped inside and climbed in, landing on the bunk next to Malina.

Malina groaned. "Not again!" She thought aloud, distancing herself from Tintin. She then pushed Tintin off the bunk. "What?" Tintin asked as soon as he caught Malina. "You again?!" "How on earth do you keep finding me?" Malina asked. "Don't ask me, miss! You're the one who keeps finding me!" Tintin argued. "I was okay accepting the fact that I've practically been held prisoner in the joint until YOU decided to show up!" Malina said angrily. "Those goons literally kidnapped me! I didn't just decide to find you!" Tintin retorted.

The captain, who had been watching the two fight, instantly removed the birdcage from atop his head and marched straight for Tintin. "Arg," he said, feeling angry as he approached Tintin. "So you thought you could sneak in behind me and catch me with my trousers down, eh?"

He then grabbed a telescope, preparing to strike Tintin, only for Tintin to grab a thick wooden stick and block his attack. "I'd rather you kept your trousers on, if it's all the same to you," Tintin said as the captain began swinging at him. "I know your game," the captain said. "You're one of them!" "Sorry?" Tintin asked as he leapt onto a desk. "Great, now this...boy...he's one of them now," Malina muttered.

"They sent you here to kill me, eh?" The captain demanded. "Look, I don't know who you are!" Tintin said, avoiding each attack. "That's how he planned to bump me off," the captain said, swinging the telescope at Tintin. "Murdered in my bed by a baby-faced assassin—Aarrgh!" The captain then felt Snowy tugging at his pants.

"Assassin?!" Tintin asked. "Look, you've got it all wrong. I was kidnapped. By a gang of thugs." Tintin then dropped the telescope and held his hands in surrender. Malina held her breath. "You were kidnapped too?" Malina asked. "Of course, why did you think I'm on this ship?" Tintin told her.

The captain then dropped the telescope, starting to weep. "Oh...Oh, the filthy swine," he wept, sitting down at the table. "He's turned the whole crew against me!" "Who?" Tintin asked as he searched the cabin. "A sour-faced man with a sugary name," the captain replied. "He bought them all off, every last man." Tintin instantly recognized that name. "Sakharine!" Tintin said. "Yes, he's some idiot named after a sugar; he demanded me to tell him what I know," Malina told Tintin.

The captain then turned to Tintin. "Nobody," he growled, "takes my ship!" "But you're the captain!" Tintin said. "Of course I'm the captain, who else could I be?" The captain questioned loudly. "Shh," Tintin whispered. "They thought they could break him by giving him absurd amounts of alcohol," Malina told Tintin.

"Aye, it's true. I've been locked in this room," the captain muttered, "for days, with only whiskey to sustain my mortal soul..." He then grabbed an empty whiskey bottle and watched it. Tintin then reached for the door handle and opened. Surprisingly enough, the door wasn't even locked at all! "Really?" Malina asked the captain.

The captain watched the door jar open. "Oh," he said, dumbfounded. "Well, I assumed it was locked." "Well, it's not," Tintin said, pointing to the open door. "Now, you must excuse me. If they find me here, they'll kill me." Tintin then proceeded out the door. "I have to keep moving," he told the captain. "And try and find my way off this drunken tub." He then closed the door. "Tub?" The captain asked. "Tub?!"

As Tintin began to leave, he found of the goons delivering the captain's supper. "You there!" The goon yelled, but was cut short by Tintin delivering a blow to his face. The man then retaliated by kicking him in the stomach. Inside, the captain and Malina heard the commotion. "Tub?" He echoed. He kept hearing Tintin fighting with the other goon outside. He then began to feel rage. "Tub!" The captain exclaimed.

The captain hastily opened the door, and delivered a hard punch to the goon's face. The man then fell backward, landing on the floor. "Thanks," Tintin told the captain. "Pleasure," the captain assured him. He then gave the downed thug to Malina, who dragged him into the cabin.

Tintin then turned to Malina. "By the way, miss," Tintin told Malina, "I didn't catch your name." "Name's Malina Ravenwood," Malina said, introducing herself. "Not too bad yourself, baby face." "Um, this 'baby face' has a name," Tintin told her. "It's Tintin. And it's a pleasure to meet you, Miss Ravenwood." Tintin then turned to the captain. "I'm Tintin, by the way," Tintin told the captain, shaking his hand. "Haddock. Archibald Haddock," the captain said.

Haddock then grabbed his hat and plopped it perfectly on his head. "Come on, you two," he said, marching out the cabin. "There's a longboat up on deck. Follow me."

Haddock. Tintin thought that name sounded familiar. That's when it hit Tintin: that was the same last name as Sir Francis Haddock, the late sea captain! "Hang on a second," Tintin said. "Did you say 'Haddock?'"

...

Sakharine pinned Allan to the wall, seething with rage. Evidently, he was angry that Tintin managed to escape from the hull, and now it was even worse that Haddock had left his cabin.

"How could you let them escape?" He demanded. "Find them. Find those three." "Don't worry," Allan said, sweating a little. "We'll kill them, sir." "No," Sakharine retorted. "You can kill the boy, along with that stupid girl. Not Haddock."

"What?" Tom asked. "He's just a hopeless old soak. We should've killed him long since."

"You think it's an accident that I chose Haddock's ship," Sakharine began to say, "Haddock's crew, and Haddock's treacherous first mate? Nothing is an accident."

A piercing screech echoed in the room. Sakharine then held out a gloved arm as a hawk with piercing yellow eyes flew to him, landing on his wrist. Offering the bird a piece of raw meat, Sakharine smiled. "We go back a long way, Captain Haddock and I," he sneered, staring at the bird. "We've unfinished business. And this time...I'm going to make him pay."

...

Maneuvering through the endless corridors of the ship, Tintin tried to find a possible exit, with Haddock and Malina following behind him.

"We have to reach a locked door at the end of this corridor," Haddock told Tintin. "This is gonna be tricky." "It's a big ship! How would it be hard to find a simple door?" Malina asked. "I could practically find what I was looking for in just a few minutes!" Tintin, however, wasn't listening. His mind was on other things.

Turning to Haddock, Tintin asked, " You wouldn't happen to be related to the Haddocks of Marlinspike Hall, would you?" "Why do you ask?" Haddock asked. "It's for a story I'm working on," Tintin said. "An old shipwreck that happened off the coast of Barbados. A man o'war. Triple masted. Fifty guns."

Haddock froze. He then grabbed Tintin by the collar of his sweater and pinned him against the wall.

"What do you know about the Unicorn?" Haddock questioned. "Not a lot. That's why I'm asking you," Tintin said. Malina then leaned forward to listen. "The secret of that ship is known only to my family!" Haddock told Tintin. "It's been passed down from generation to generation. My granddaddy himself, with his dying breath, told me the tale!" "And?" Tintin asked.

Haddock paused. "Gone," he whispered.

"What do you mean, gone?" Tintin asked.

"I was so upset when he kicked the bucket, I had no choice but to drown my sorrows," Haddock began to ramble. "When I woke up in the morning, it was gone! Forgot it all!" "Everything?" Tintin asked. "Every last word," Haddock pouted. "But that can't be it! There has to be something else," Malina said. "Well, is there someone else in your family?" Tintin asked. "Maybe they would know."

Haddock turned to Tintin. "Sir Francis had three sons," he said. "All but my bloodline failed. "I am the last of the Haddocks!" Tintin's eyes lit up. "Did you say three sons?" He asked.

"Let's check below!"

"Guys, get down!" Malina told Tintin and Haddock as she pushed the two behind a stairwell. Looking through the gaps of the stairs, she found a sailor approaching another. "Where do you suppose we find them, Ali?" The sailor asked. "There's a bottle of rum for the man who finds Haddock," Ali said. "And kill the boy. Along with that girl," the sailor said. "Hope I find him first."

Snowy began to whimper. "Shh!" Tintin whispered to Snowy, and abruptly covered Snowy's snout. "What's that?" The sailor asked. "Bah, you're hearing things," Ali said. "Quiet, Ali," the sailor said. They surveyed the perimeter, hoping to find the source of the sound. "Ugh, there's nothin' there," Ali had said. "Let's go up, then," the sailor said as the two left.

Tintin's brain was buzzing. "I know what Sakharine's looking for!" He said, snapping his fingers. "What are ya ravin' on about?" Haddock asked. "Yes, Mr. Tintin. Let us in on it," Malina said. "It was written on the scroll," Tintin said. "'Three brothers joined...Three Unicorns in company, sailing in the noonday sun will speak.'"

"Really?" Haddock asked, smiling as he was barely entering another hall. "Sir Francis didn't make two models of the Unicorn," Tintin said, smiling. "He made three! Three ships for three sons!" Haddock's eyes lit up. "Excellent!" He said.

"Sakharine's after the third model ship!" Tintin said. "So, wait. There are three model ships, not just one?" Malina asked. "So that's the direction we're supposed to head in!"

Haddock then rapidly approached a door at the end of the corridor. He tried to jiggle the door open, but it was closed tight! "Barnacles!" He exclaimed. "Someone's locked the door!" "Well, is there a key?" Tintin asked, grasping Haddock's shoulders. "A key?" Haddock asked. "Ah..."

At that moment, Haddock exhaled loudly, letting out a puff of his breath. It hit Tintin in the face; Haddock's breath smelled rotten, like whiskey mixed with sea air. Tintin coughed. "Yes, now that would be the problem," Haddock said, giving Tintin a light pat on the shoulder. "Come along now."

Only Tintin was left standing, still affected by the captain's smelly breath. Turning around, Tintin staggered forward, gagging a little. "Hey, don't worry. You'll get used to it," Malina said, patting Tintin on the back. "Believe me, I felt that before." "Gross!" Tintin exclaimed. "And undignified," Malina said, smiling.


	10. Sneaking Through the Karaboudjan

(Entering the cabins)

* * *

After they made it to another door in the halls, Haddock slowly opened the door to another cabin. From inside, Tintin could hear the sound of loud snoring. Malina surveyed the whole cabin and found that there were rows of bunks. Many of the sailors were loudly sleeping on their beds, while others fell from the swaying motions of the ship.

"Okay, now that is a hazard," Malina whispered. "Swinging bunks. Very dangerous." "Aye," Haddock said. "Right there." He pointed to a sailor. "Mr. Jaggerman, top bunk in the center," he whispered. "Careful mates, he's a restless sleeper on account of the tragic loss of his eyelids."

Tintin turned to Haddock. "He lost his eyelids?" He asked. "Aye lad, that was a card game to remember," Haddock said, chuckling at the memory. "Oh, you two really had to be there!" "That's gross," Malina said. "Cutting someone's eyelids. That's disgusting."

She then turned to Tintin. "You go first," she said, thrusting Tintin inside. Tintin then snuck into the cabin, with Snowy trotting beside his heels. Not wanting to lose him, Malina eventually went inside as well. Haddock stayed outside the cabin. "You're not coming, Captain?" Malina asked.

"I'd do this myself," Haddock said, "but you and that lad have a lighter tread and less chance of waking the boys." "Are you sure this is a good idea?" Tintin asked. Haddock nodded. "You've nothing to worry about," he said. "Provided they all stay asleep."

"You two make so much as a squeak, and you get us all killed," Malina grumbled as Tintin was preparing to climb the bunks. "I'll keep my lips sealed...Miss Ravenwood," Tintin whispered, his teeth clenched. From outside, Haddock tried to communicate with them. "I wouldn't get close to Mr. Hobbs," he whispered as Tintin carried Snowy up to another bunk. "He's very handy with a razor." In one bunk, a man was snoring loudly, holding a razor in his clenched fist.

"Oh, and I'd steer clear of Mr. Gitch," Haddock whispered to Tintin. In another bunk, a man was sleeping heavily as a live rat squealed and tried to escape the man's tight fist. "Why should this guy be our problem?" Malina asked. "Sacked as a shepherd on account of his...'animal husbandry,'" Haddock whispered to Tintin.

As Tintin finally managed to reach the top bunk on the right, he extended his arm, hoping to reach the keys. Haddock held his breath in anticipation. Unfortunately, Tintin's hand wasn't long enough to reach it, and he fell back. Haddock threw his hands up in frustration. "Ugh, you idiot," Malina mumbled. "Use your dog!"

Tintin almost felt his blood boil after hearing Malina whisper that. But she did have a point. Grabbing Snowy by his waist, Tintin then extended Snowy toward the keys. From outside, Haddock peered in. "Get the keys," Tintin whispered to Snowy. Snowy began sniffing the keys, until his nose caught a whiff of a sandwich underneath the weight of the sailor. Tintin grew desperate. "Not the sandwich!" Tintin hissed. "The keys!"

Snowy didn't listen. Instead, he chomped down on the sandwich and knocking over a plastic shark model, causing Tintin to fall off the top bunks. This eventually caused the other sleeping sailors to fall off their bunks, including the one holding the keys. Luckily, he landed on a middle bunk. Tintin then tried to reach for the keys. But then, the fake shark fell, toppling Tintin, and the heavy sailors on top of him.

Malina held her breath as Snowy pranced atop the pile of sleeping sailors. At that moment, Tintin's hand shot up, holding the keys! Haddock began to cheer wildly as he applauded. Malina then removed each sailor off of Tintin long enough for him to catch his breath. "Who's the idiot now?" Tintin asked, panting. "Okay, okay. You're pretty good on your feet," Malina said. "Kudos to that."

Haddock still would not erase the goofy grin on his face as he relived that moment over in his mind. Tintin then gave the keys to Haddock as the three returned to the locked door. "You're a brave lad, Tintin," Haddock said, smiling. "And you too, Malina. My heart was in my mouth. Don't mind telling ya. That is, if it was my heart. Judging by my stomach, it could've been anythin'—"

"Hurry up, Captain!" Tintin exclaimed impatiently. "No time to lose!" "Yes, Captain. Do hurry yourself; we're in a bit of a time crunch here," Malina said much more gently.

Haddock then opened the door with boisterous grandeur. "Bingo!" He exclaimed. The door had opened to reveal a storage room full of bottles of whiskey. Some hung in nets suspended by ropes, while the rest lined the shelves. "Just the necessities, of course," Haddock said, entering the room. It was not long before Haddock had stuffed his jacket full of bottles. Picking up the last one, Haddock gave it a smooch. "To the lifeboats!" He declared as he strode off, pride in his face.

Meanwhile, Tintin had raised an eyebrow at this situation. "How does he tolerate that stuff?" Tintin wondered aloud. "Trust me, Mr. Tintin," Malina told him. "You do not wanna know."

...

Outside, the other sailors and crew members of the Karaboudjan were busy fixing up a seaplane and wondering of a possible way to recapture their prisoners. "Ease it in!" One sailor shouted.

"Put your backs into it!"

"Hold her there, steady now!"

One sailor approached a crew member and began to ask if he had seen the prisoners. "Any sign of him, Jumbo?" The crew member had asked the burly sailor. "Nothing yet," the sailor, who may have been Jumbo, had answered. "Watch yourself. The boss says he's a handful. Same as that prissy excuse of a mistress."

By the time Tintin and the others had reached the far end of the corridors, they finally reached an exit. By then, Captain Haddock had opened another bottle of whiskey. When he opened the door, he found a man outside on the deck, holding a flashlight and gun. "Get back here!" Malina said, pulling the captain back. Tintin then approached the door, grabbing the whiskey bottle from Haddock's hand.

Slowly opening the door with one hand, Tintin raised the bottle high, preparing to hit the thug. However, at the last minute, Haddock took the bottle from Tintin's hand. In an instant, Tintin hit the thug clean with his bare hand. "Ow!" Tintin cried out in pain. "Oh!" He shook his wrist in pain. He then turned and glared at the Captain, who had finished off the bottle. "Come on," Haddock said, motioning for the others to follow.

"Is your hand okay?" Malina asked, gently touching Tintin's affected wrist. "Ooh!" Tintin said, wincing as Malina's fingers gently rubbed his bruised wrist. "No, no. It's fine. I'm okay," Tintin said. He was clearly being annoyed at the Captain's drunken behavior. Malina then took a look at Snowy as he pounced on the downed thug, growling. Smiling, Malina then delivered a kick straight to the thug's butt. "That was for harassing and kidnapping me," Malina whispered.

A few moments later, Tintin, Haddock, and Malina were now approaching the lifeboats. While Malina untied the ropes from the lifeboat, Tintin and Haddock both pushed it toward the edge of the ship. Suddenly, Tintin turned around and gasped. "Get down!" He whispered. He and the others crouched down and hid in the shadows, for they saw two familiar men walking inside.

"It's Allan," Haddock whispered as he pointed to the man that had once been his most devoted first mate. "Wait, is that the bridge?" Tintin asked. "Aye, on the other side of the radio room," Haddock mentioned. "Radio room?" Tintin asked. He came up with a plan. "You two, wait here," he said. "Sound the alarm if anyone comes."

"I'm coming with you," Malina said, grabbing the sleeve of Tintin's sweater. "What? No. I need to do this myself," Tintin said. "You go wait with the Captain." "Are you telling me to go wait for you like I'm some kind of damsel in distress?" Malina asked. "Are you really going to say that to me?" "No, no. I didn't mean to offend you, Miss," Tintin said, holding his hands in defense. "I just don't want you to get harmed. Just go wait with the captain." "I will not wait around, I'm going to accompany you and that's final," Malina said, crossing her arms. "Besides, maybe I can help you intercept a signal."

Tintin sighed in exasperation. Maybe he would need a little help from an expert radio communicator like Malina. "Fine," Tintin said. "You can come." "Thank you," Malina said as she followed Tintin to the radio room. "Be careful, you two," Haddock whispered as the pair left him in charge of the lifeboat.

Tintin and Malina slowly crept through the decks of the ship, with Snowy trotting behind them. As they quietly made their way up the stairs to the upper deck, Tintin motioned for Malina to stay against the wall. Malina held on to Snowy as Tintin peered through the window. Though he kept perfectly hidden, Tintin peered through the window silently. He then tried to make out what Tom and Allan were talking about.

"Message just came through, boss," Tom told Allan. "What's it say?" Allan asked. "Here it is," Tom said as he began to read the message. "'The Milanese Nightingale has landed. Waiting in the wings of action.'"

"Milanese Nightingale?" Tintin asked. He turned to Malina. "No, I don't know what it is," Malina whispered.

"Now pray this cheers him up," Allan said. Finally, the two thugs had left the room. Finally, the coast was clear. Tintin and Malina then entered the room. "Woof, this is hot," Malina said, taking off her leather jacket. "Even worse than a crowded sauna." Tintin then caught a glimpse of Malina's blue kerchief wrapped loosely round her shirt collar. Then he noticed the locket. "That locket is pretty," Tintin said. "Where'd you get it?" "I bought it at the flea market," Malina said, smiling.

While Snowy hopped up on a table and Malina then surveyed the window. "How about I stand guard while you find whatever it is you need?" "Sure!" Tintin said. "Excellent idea!" Tintin then began searching around the desk, until his eye caught a notecard. Picking it up, he read the title. "Bagghar," Tintin read. "What's this?" He then found a brochure of the city on the desk. Picking it up, he began to read it, opening up to a picture of a well-dressed sultan.

"The Sultan of Bagghar," Tintin read, "ruled over by Sheik Omar Ben Salaad, whose love of music and culture is matched only by his love of..." As Tintin turned the page, Tintin's jaw dropped. It was a picture of the Unicorn!

"Great snakes!"

Snowy pricked up his head, his mouth holding the sandwich as a rat was dangling from it. "You found something?" Malina asked. "You bet I did!" Tintin said. Putting the brochure back in his pocket, Tintin then walked over to a map to find the city mentioned in the brochure.

"Bagghar," Tintin muttered as he tried to locate the city. Pointing to a mark on the map, which was marked by a red X, Tintin found the city. "The Port of Bagghar, Morocco." Malina looked out the window. "Still no sign of them," Malina said. "Don't know if it's safe for us to remain here much longer." "We'll leave in a bit," Tintin said. "First, I need to get a message out to someone." Grabbing a set of headphones, Tintin turned on a radio. He then prepared to send out a Morse code message, hoping to get the word out.

He hoped that the message could help in this mission.


	11. Escape!

(near the lifeboats)

Captain Haddock was pacing around, biting his nails nervously. It had been a while since Tintin and Malina left him in charge of raising the alarm, should someone find him. Haddock was worrying himself sick. He was concerned that either Sakharine or Allan may have caught them. Growing more and more impatient, Haddock felt the sudden urge to grab another bottle and have a drink.

"Tintin!" Haddock cried out, almost like a whisper. "Tintin! Malina!" He needed to know if they were all right and not in some sort of danger.

Suddenly, Haddock heard a faint rustling within the tarp covering the lifeboat. Walking toward the lifeboat, Haddock lifted up the tarp. Inside, he found a thug seated in the lifeboat, with a gun already in hand.

"Hey!" The thug exclaimed, positioning his gun. "Put your hands up!"

Haddock obeyed and threw his hands up in the air. Luckily for him, he had been holding the rope that was holding the lifeboat. The minute he let go, the boat instantly fell. The thug also fell off, along with the lifeboat, as he screamed:

"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaagggggggghhh!"

As the boat landed in the ocean, the thug was left dangling near the side of the boat, his feet tied up by the rope.

Haddock smiled as he went to look at the unfortunate thug. "And let that be a lesson to ya!" He shouted.

The thug was left shouting, "Help me!" Having been satisfied with what happened, Haddock looked all around the deck, searching for another lifeboat. Since that lifeboat was already gone, he had to go find a new one for him and the others to escape in. Moving silently, Haddock searched for a new lifeboat.

* * *

(inside the radio room)

As Malina stood guard at the door, she often peered over her shoulder to check on Tintin's progress. Tintin was still busy sending out a distress signal, hoping to get a message out. Malina did a pretty good job keeping watch. She kept on peering out the window as she held a pocket knife in hand.

Suddenly, Malina could hear footsteps coming from outside. Her breath caught in her throat, Malina made her way to Tintin and began tapping his chest hard. "Tintin!" She whispered. "Tintin! Hurry it up! I can hear someone coming close!"

"Almost done with it!" Tintin told Malina. He pressed a few more buttons on the radio, trying to finish up. Malina heard the door handle jiggle. As she pressed her body toward the door, it pushed open, causing Malina to fall over. "Hey!" Malina shouted. Tintin turned around and gasped. It was Tom!

"In here!" Tom yelled as he pointed his gun at Tintin. "They're in here!"

...

Tom prepared to fire, until Snowy pounced from the table and sunk his teeth into Tom's arm, causing him to cry out in pain and miss his target, shooting the wall. Tintin then swung his arm forward and delivered a punch straight into Tom's face.

"Come on, Malina!" Tintin exclaimed as he grabbed the gun from Tom. "Let's go!" "Coming!" Malina said as she ran out of the radio room, with Tintin and Snowy in the lead. Allan then shoved himself inside, pushing Tom. "Where are they?!" He demanded. He then decided to pursue them himself.

Captain Haddock was still pacing around, waiting for the others to arrive. Unbeknownst to him, another sailor found Haddock. "Here! By the lifeboats!" He shouted as he pointed his gun directly at Haddock.

Meanwhile, Tintin, Malina, and Snowy were racing through the decks, as more and more sailors began appearing, all with guns in hand. Tintin began to pick up speed, while Malina picked up Snowy and held him in her arms.

"Get out of the way!" Allan shouted. "After them! Get them!"

As Tintin and Malina leapt over a railing and onto the floor, one sailor pulled out a rifle and began firing on to the two youths. "Watch out!" Malina shouted as she and Tintin dodged each new bullet that was fired at them. Tintin then pulled out the gun he obtained and began shooting in defense as he and Malina were racing to escape the bullets raining down on them. For Malina, this had been more than enough action for her to take in!

"Tintin, what did you say your job was, exactly?" Malina asked. "I'm a journalist!" Tintin shouted back in reply. "Why do you ask?" "Because I've never seen a journalist endure this much danger before!" Malina exclaimed. "I always assumed you were the stuck-up person with his nose stuck in a book and sitting at a typewriter everyday!" "Says you!" Tintin exclaimed.

Meanwhile, Snowy had finally made it to the lifeboat with Haddock. Barking crazily, Snowy pounced and landed inside the lifeboat just as Haddock was about to untie it. "Quick, you two!" Haddock screamed. "They're here!"

Running near the funnel, Tintin and Malina ran until they found another sailor with a gun. Swinging his arm, the sailor was about to punch Malina, but Tintin was quick to prevent the attack. Grabbing the sailor's arms, Tintin then delivered a kick, toppling the sailor to the ground. "Let's go!" Tintin exclaimed. But as Malina was a bout to follow, she felt an arm grabbing the collar of her jacket.

"Oh no, you don't!"

Malina was now screaming as a sailor wrapped his arm around her chest, dragging her away. "Tintin!" Malina screamed. "Quiet, girl!" The sailor shouted at her. "We've had enough of your tricks. You're stayin' here, as our trophy!" Tintin then ran back and punched the man clean in the face, grabbing Malina's hand and running away.

"Why, you little...!" The sailor then got to his feet as he opened fire on the youths. But they were quick on their feet as they were with their reflexes. The gun shots were now piercing the night sky.

Haddock and Snowy looked back as they heard the gunshots growing louder by the minute. Snowy whimpered; he was worried that his best friend would be hurt. At that moment, Haddock suddenly lost his balance as he tumbled into the lifeboat, accidentally loosening the ropes holding the boat. Haddock was able to grab the seat of boat, watching the whiskey bottles topple into the sea as he held Snowy by the tail.

Trying to avoid the bullets, Tintin slid onto the roof of the ship, dragging Malina as they slid. Landing near a staircase, the teens ran. Suddenly, the big sailor, Jumbo, had appeared, with another sailor. Whipping off her boot, Malina swung her boot hard across both sailors' faces. They cried out in pain as Malina put her boot back on and ran with Tintin. "They're up there!" A sailor shouted, pointing to the youths running. "Go!"

As Tintin and Malina kept on running, they managed to reach the lifeboats in time. Standing atop the stairs, Allan pulled out his gun, aiming it at the two. Seizing the chance, Tintin shot a bullet straight for the lever, causing the searchlight to break loose and shine the light brightly on the other thugs, blinding them. "Let's go!" Tintin told Malina as they finally raced toward the lifeboats.

"Don't let them get away!" Allan ordered, pointing to Tintin and Malina as they climbed aboard the lifeboat, with Haddock and Snowy in tow.

Tintin then raised his gun, and fired a bullet toward the rope suspending the lifeboat. The rope eventually snapped in half, and soon, the friends found themselves falling toward the ocean. As the boat began sailing away from the ship, Sakharine looked all around the deck and glared as he found the prisoners escape. Grabbing the oars, Tintin and Haddock began rowing farther away from the ship as the current pulled them farther.

"Turn this ship around!" Allan shouted. "Aye, sir!" A sailor said, saluting as he headed for the ship's main control room. Pulling a lever, the sailor took a hold of the wheel and began steering the ship. "Give me a flare," Allan growled. A crew member handed him a flare gun. Sliding down the stairway and stopping toward the edge of the deck, Allan raised the gun high and fired.

Tintin watched as a fiery red bullet sailed through the night sky. "Captain, get down!" Tintin exclaimed, pushing the captain down. "Malina! You get down too!" The three then laid down on the floor of the lifeboat. Cradling Snowy in his arms, Tintin wondered if they were soon to get them at any given point. "So much for a reporter," Malina whispered in awe.

Activating a searchlight, a sailor was trying to find the lifeboat. "There he is!" He shouted, pointing the beam toward the boat. "Get out of the way!" Allan screamed, pushing the sailor aside and grabbing the searchlight. Looking around, he eventually shoe the beam onto the lifeboat where the three escaped in.

"Now!" Tom yelled at the sailor in the control room. "Full speed! Full speed ahead!"

The sailor nodded. With a wicked grin, he pushed the lever at full speed. Now the Karaboudjan was rapidly picking up speed as it sailed forward toward the lifeboat. Allan smiled, his plan going according to plan. "I got you now," he sneered deviously.

Malina picked herself up from her position as she noticed the ship speeding toward them. "Stay down!" Tintin whispered as he gently put his hand on Malina's head and pushed her till she was lying back down. As the ship was rapidly picking speed, Haddock took Snowy from Tintin and hugged him tight. Tintin and Haddock then shut their eyes tight, already bracing for impact. Malina then shut her eyes as she hugged Tintin's arm tight. "Here it comes!" Malina whispered. "Here it is—!"

...

 ** _CRASH!_**

The sailors began to cheer, having successfully killed their escapees. But their celebration wasn't going to last that long.

Tom suddenly then found something in the ocean that caught his eye. Tugging at Allan's coat, Tom pointed to the ocean, exclaiming, "Look! Down there!"

Allan and the others neared the deck and gasped in a mix of shock and stunned anger. Grabbing a telescope, Allan looked to see what it was that Tom had found. He then found that the lifeboat they had rammed the ship with was completely empty! A lone whiskey bottle was bobbing up on the watery surface, amidst the wrecked lifeboat.

From afar, Tintin peeped from the floor of the lifeboat. That other lifeboat had spared their lives! Sighing with relief, Tintin was glad that the sailors were distracted by that other lifeboat. Nodding to Haddock, the three friends then grabbed the oars and began to slowly row away from the collateral damage, and onwards toward their destination.


	12. Onward Towards the Unicorn

(I think that, for now, some of these next few chapters may be short or something. Mainly because I'm such a pushover with these. The minute I start working on these chapters, the more quickly I finish. Maybe I may figure something out while thinking of ideas for other fanfictions. But we'll see how that plays out after this chapter, so...Enjoy it!)

* * *

Having successfully escaped from the Karaboudjan, Tintin and the others were about to brace themselves for the ongoing crash that would've killed them. But somehow, the crew members were distracted by the first lifeboat that Captain Haddock had accidentally released. It seemed to give them a diversion so they could sail away. Both grabbing the oars, Tintin and Malina began rowing farther away from the ship, and on to their destination.

While trying to process what they had just hit, Tom and Allan were now wondering why that first lifeboat was even out in the water in the first place. But before Tom could come up with an answer, he felt a hand pulling him back. He turned to find Sakharine grabbing at him, even more furious than ever.

"IDIOTS!" Sakharine exploded as he grabbed Tom by the collar of his sweater. "You idiots! What have you done?!" "W-We killed them, boss," Tom said, his voice trembling, "like you wanted!" "No!" Sakharine exclaimed. "Not like I wanted. I needed Haddock alive!"

Sakharine then spun around and stormed off toward the control room. That was until he noticed a small card on the floor of the deck. Picking it up, he read it over.

The card had Morse code messaging, along with the name "BAGGHAR" underlined at the bottom. His prisoners seemed to be going the same direction they were heading.

"Wait a minute, boss!" Allan called out as he was near the lifeboats. Pointing to the two empty corridors, Allan said, "There are two boats missing!" Tom thought about it. "So that one must have been a decoy," he wondered aloud. "They're on to us...and our destination," Sakharine said, shaking his head angrily. He then turned to Tom and Allan.

"Find them!" Sakharine ordered. "Make absolutely certain they never reach Bagghar!" "Yes, boss," Tom said, nodding his head.

Soon, crew members had heard the order and began working on another plan to capture their prisoners. "Get up there!" One sailor said as two other crew members grabbed a hold of a large tarp. Together, they unfurled a large, yellow seaplane that had been resting on the hangar bay.

Sakharine was more determined than ever to get the treasure before his prisoners did.

* * *

(farther into the sea)

Tintin's arms were already beginning to ache from rowing the boat. Even Malina was already prepared to pass out from too much pressure she exerted from helping Tintin row the lifeboat. "I'm so impressed at what you did," Malina told Tintin. "You are?" Tintin asked. "Yes," Malina said. "So...what are you if I already told you I was reporter?" Tintin asked Malina. "I'm actually a war pilot," Malina said as she kept rowing.

"You, a pilot?" Tintin asked. "I am. Why?" Malina asked. "I never thought a woman like you could be a pilot," Tintin said. Tintin then noticed Malina looking at his direction, and swallowed. "And I mean that in the nicest possible way," Tintin said smiling. Together, they kept on rowing, as Haddock was sitting in his place.

"So Mr. Tintin," Malina said, panting, "what do you suppose we do now that we're drifting farther into the sea?" "We have to get to Bagghar ahead of Sakharine," Tintin said as he kept on rowing.

"I know, I know," Haddock kept saying. It was obvious that he may have tired of asking Tintin why he was so interested in finding the Unicorn. And the answer was always the same. "Why?" "Because he has the third model ship," Tintin said. "How do you know?" Haddock asked.

"The Sheikh collects old ships," Tintin said as he pulled out the brochure he got from the ship. "And this..." Tintin said, as he pointed to the picture of the Unicorn, "this is the prize of his collection." "Wait, there are three of those ships?" Malina asked. "I always presumed there was only one." "No. There are three, Miss Ravenwood," Tintin said. Haddock smiled as he glanced at the picture of the Unicorn.

"Blistering Barnacles!" Haddock said, smiling. "That is the Unicorn!"

"You've seen things like this before?" Malina asked. "Not until now," Tintin said. "And I'm much more confident in learning what the mystery is about this ship."

Pointing to the photo, Tintin turned to Haddock. "Captain," he asked, "do you see the distortion around the model?" He circled his finger around what looked to be an invisible box. "Uh-huh, aye," Haddock said, nodding his head and stroking his beard thoughtfully. "It means that Ben Salaad exhibits it in a bulletproof glass case in his palace," Tintin said. "And Sakharine is going there to steal it!" Haddock said, snapping his fingers.

"But why would that idiot Sakharine be after this ship? It's inside a glass box, for crying out loud," Malina said. "There won't be a way for him to actually open it." "Yes, that's the idea," Tintin told Malina. "He's got a secret weapon, the Milanese Nightingale. But that won't be enough to solve the mystery." He then turned to Haddock.

"And that's why Sakharine needs you," Tintin told Haddock. "That's why he made you his prisoner. There is something he needs you to remember." "But I still don't get why he also wanted to kidnap me as well," Malina said. "Good question," Tintin told her. "Why would Sakharine capture you?" "I also did get a glimpse of that first ship," Malina said. "I wasn't really interested in it, so I just left it alone. And that was when those thugs beat me up. They said something about me being the prize for their boss." "Maybe that's why!" Tintin said. "They wanted you to tell them what you knew!"

The two then turned to Haddock, hoping for an answer.

"I don't follow you," Haddock told Tintin. Tintin shook his head. "I read it in a book," he said as he turned to sit back on his seat. Malina then stooped down to pet Snowy. As Tintin sat back down, he told Haddock, "It was in a book. That only a true Haddock can discover the secret of the Unicorn."

Haddock thought about that situation for a moment. At that moment, he began to smile. Tintin thought he may have an answer. Both Tintin and Malina smiled big as they leaned in to hear what Haddock was going to tell them.

Lifting a finger, Haddock's face suddenly fell. "I don't remember anything about anything."

"What?" Malina asked, frowning as her eyebrow furrowed. "How can you not remember? I was already prepared to hear what you would say."

Tintin's face fell. "But you must know about your ancestors, and Sir Francis," Tintin told Haddock. "It's your family legacy!" "My memory is not what it used to be," Haddock mumbled. "Then what did it use to be?" Tintin asked. "I've forgotten," Haddock answered. "Of course you forgot," Malina said. "It was all those bottles of whiskey they kept giving you. They tried to break your mind."

Even though he was a bit disappointed, Tintin still had high hopes of solving the mystery. Breathing deeply, he turned to the Captain and asked, "Captain...Can you take us to Bagghar?"

At that moment, Haddock suddenly became very angry. "What sort of stupid question is that?!" He questioned. Tintin and Malina almost felt stunned as Haddock pushed them aside, heading for the oars. "Give me those oars!" Haddock said as he got up and reached for the oars.

"I'll show ya some real seamanship," Haddock muttered angrily; he thought Malina and Tintin were beginning to doubt his abilities as captain. "I will not be doubted by some aggressive brunette female, some pipsqueak tuft of ginger, and his irritating dog!" As he swung the oars about, Haddock accidentally knocked over Snowy, knocking him out.

"Captain! Watch where you—!" Malina was cut off by a sharp blow to her head, and she fell over, passed out. "I am master an commander...of the seven seas!" Haddock exclaimed. He then accidentally hit Tintin on the head, knocking him out as Tintin fell over, completely blacked out. "Heck, I know these waters better than the warts on my mother's face!" Haddock said as he began rowing the lifeboat.

After looking at a now knocked out Snowy, Haddock turned and smiled as he watched Tintin and Malina laying down on the seats of the lifeboat, with Tintin's arm hanging over the boat. "Ah, look at the three of them," Haddock said. "Fast asleep. Typical landlubbers. Aye, no stamina these days."

Haddock kept on rowing toward the open ocean, a look of pride in his eyes. "Ah, never mind," he said to the others as they slept on.

"I'll get you there, Tintin and Malina."


	13. A Little Chat with the Pickpocket

(Now, this chapter may be noticeably short, because this is a brief scene from the movie. I know, its a little too short, but just bear with me. I told you these next few chapters will be short. But I may find a way to extend most of them. But you'll just have to wait and see. For the time being, enjoy reading!)

* * *

(Back to the city of Brussels)

Meanwhile, back in Brussels, the town was now awfully quiet, but still bustling even more than ever. Townspeople were busy going about their normal day, strolling about, shopping, eating out at restaurants, or enjoying a quiet stroll at the park. Some of the people did not have a care in the world about how things were going for them. They just wanted to enjoy a nice afternoon without any worries.

On this particular day, a man was busy strolling through the streets of Brussels, occasionally stepping on a puddle in the cobblestones of the sidewalk. He walked calmly and carefully, adjusting the green gloves on his hands as he strolled along.

Meanwhile, the Thompsons were walking along the side of the road, hand in hand. Their steps echoed in unison, and they both held their walking canes on their arms. Like proper gentleman. Soon enough, Thompson had caught a glimpse of something. It was a well-dressed man with a white mustache and goatee, and he wore a grayish black bowler hat. Even the man himself caught a glimpse of the Thompsons as well.

"Look, Thomson," Thompson whispered. "There's our fellow."

"Uh-huh," Thomson replied, nodding his head.

The man, without a doubt, saw the Thompsons approaching him, and he felt a cold sweat. "Oh my," he whispered. Slowly picking up speed, he began to walk faster. But the Thompsons were also quick in their step as well. By then, the man was now picking up speed as he tried to shake them off his path.

By the time he reached his flat, the man tried to dig around for his keys. But without any luck, he tried to jiggle the door handle open. But right then, the Thompsons had already approached him.

"Mr. Silk?" Thompson asked while greeting him. Turning around, Mr. Silk noticed the Thompsons and jumped back in surprise. "Y-Yes?" He asked. "My name is Thompson," Thompson said, introducing himself. "And Thomson!" Thomson chimed in. "We're police officers!" The two detectives both said. "Oh," Mr. Silk mumbled. "Oh crumbs." Mr. Silk then began to run away, trying to hide away from the Thompsons.

 ** _Crash!_**

Thompson and Thomson both heard the crash and immediately raced over to see what happened. "Ooh," Thompson said. "Good gracious!" Thomson said. They rushed over and found that Mr. Silk had crashed headlong into an old woman and a local passerby. "Mr. Silk!" Thompson said. "Dear, oh dear, oh dear." "Are you okay?" Thomson asked, for he noticed that Mr. Silk was dazed, with tiny yellow canaries circling around him. "Poor fellow," Thompson muttered.

Just as the Thompsons were helping Mr. Silk to his feet, a pet store owner had already stepped outside, with a net in hand. He then gently waved the net around, trying to capture each canary that had escaped from the pet store. Meanwhile, the man tried to help the old woman up. As he helped her to her feet, he accidentally passed his hand over her rear end. The woman gasped and whipped him with her pocketbook.

"Are you all right, sir?" the Thompsons asked Mr. Silk. "Here, let me help you," Thompson said. "Thank you, that's very kind," Mr. Silk said. "No need to run away, sir," Thompson assured. "No no, you see," Thomson started to say, "yesterday, we very nearly caught the pickpocket who's been terrorizing our town." "Pickpocket?" Mr. Silk asked. "We pulled his jacket off and inside, we found a wallet," Thompson said. "Yes, a wallet with your name and address!" Thomson pointed out. "But that's my wallet," Mr. Silk told them. "Well it's obvious he stole it from you," Thompson told him.

"No no, that's my wallet," Mr. Silk said, gently reaching for his wallet. "Are you all right, sir?" Thomson asked again. Thompson took Mr. Silk by the arm, telling him, "We didn't mean to startle you. Come, let us help you into your apartment.

"There you go," Thompson said as he led Mr. Silk to the front door of his apartment.

"Thank you so much," Mr. Silk said as he stepped inside. "No need to come in. I'll be quite all right, really." "No, we insist," Thompson said as he proceeded to enter. "Better safe than sorry! It's the least we can do," Thomson said. "Oh, thank you," Mr. Silk said as the two detectives came in.

...

"There we are."

Thompson and Thomson then entered Mr. Silk's apartment flat. The first thing that they were met with while entering were rows of shelves, all filled with different wallets and purses. And each of them had a different name card of the person it belonged to. It was pretty unusual for them to find someone's own apartment flat full of shelves containing wallets.

"Good grief! What's all this?" Thompson asked after getting a load of the many wallets that were inside that room. "It's my, um...collection," Mr. Silk said. "What a load of wallets!" Thomson said, looking at all the many wallets that lined the rows of shelves. "I...I can't help it," Mr. Silk said, rubbing his fingers together. "It started with coin purses, and sort of went on from there, really." That must have been a clue for the Thompsons; whoever had this many wallets was obviously the pickpocket they were looking for!

"Well, you want to be careful," Thompson told him. "Haven't you heard? There's a pickpocket about." "Yes, he'd love this," Thomson said, getting an eyeful of the wallets lining the shelves. "Can you imagine?" "What do you mean, 'pickpocket?'" Mr. Silk asked nervously. "A master criminal," Thompson said as he kept looking at the wallets. "A bag snatching, purse pilfering, wallet lifting sneak thief!" "But I'm not a bad person," Mr. Silk assured. "I'm a kleptomaniac."

"A what?" Thompson asked. "It's a fear of open spaces," Thomson said as he looked at Thompson through a gap in the middle shelf. "Poor man. No wonder he keeps his wallets in the living room," Thompson said. "Wallets. I just can't resist the lovely little things," Mr. Silk said. "It's a harmless little habit, really."

"Good heavens, Thomson!" Thompson said, pulling out a wallet. "Look at this! His name's Thompson too!" "Ooh, what a coincidence," Thomson said. "No Thomson, this is 'Thomson' without a P. As in psychic," Thompson said, staring at the wallet. "No no no, that's 'Thompson' with a P. As in psychologist," Thomson said, correcting him.

Mr. Silk could see that the Thompsons were on to something, so he had to distract them."Look at this one!" He said, waving around a green wallet. "A green one that I managed to pick from a pickpocket actually pickpocketing at the time." He then waved around another one. "And this one!" He said. " _Cuir de cochon_!"

"Good heavens Thomson, you have it all wrong," Thompson said. "No, you have it all wrong," Thomson corrected him. "There is a P in psychic." Somehow, Thompson may have read the word wrong in a misguided sense. "I am not your sidekick," Thompson said, misinterpreting his sentence. "You are mine!"

"Smell it, won't you?" Mr. Silk asked, waving the wallet around Thompson's face. "It's piggy leather."

"No, you have it all wrong," Thompson said, contradicting Thomson's argument. Now the two detectives were engaging in a heated argument.

"How dare you!" Thomson said.

"No, how dare YOU! I met you first!"

"I met you first!"

"No you didn't!"

"Yes I did!"

"No you did not!"

"Yes I did!"

"Didn't!"

"Did!"

...

"Listen!" Mr. Silk exclaimed, trying to break up the conflict between Thompson and Thomson. Somehow they weren't going any washer after that minor debate amongst them. "Hey!" Thomson said as Mr. Silk tried to get him to stop arguing with Thompson.

Listen! I can't stand it anymore!" Mr. Silk exclaimed. It was pretty clear that the Thompsons' minor argument was getting way out of hand. And he did not want any part in their conversation. "A-All right, I'll come quietly!" He then began grabbing handfuls of wallets and began pushing them toward the Thompsons. "Take them!" Mr. Silk whimpered. "Take them! Take them all!"

"Stop it!" Thompson demanded. "Pull yourself together, man! We can't take your wallets! Do we look like thieves to you?!"

Suddenly, Thomson then pulled out a wallet from the pile of random wallets on the shelf. After reading the name on the card attached to it, Thomson gasped. "Good heavens, Thompson!" Thomson said, holding the wallet high. "This looks familiar. But it can't be!" Thompson then took at look at it and gasped. "But it is!" He said, also grabbing the wallet. Then they both said in unison:

"Tintin!"


	14. Lost at Sea

(farther out into the sea)

As the lifeboat had ventured farther out into the ocean, the atmosphere began to change as the boat drifted away toward the open horizon. Meanwhile, Tintin, along with Malina and Snowy, were still passed out from being knocked out by the oars. Tintin's skin had already gone pale and cold, with his arm hanging limply over the boat and being occasionally wet by the ocean's waves.

Even though Malina was still knocked out, she shivered a little from the cold sea air. But her head still ached from being hit in the head. So much for staying on track.

Meanwhile, Captain Haddock was now slowly rowing the lifeboat, but still confident enough in taking Tintin and the others to Bagghar. He mistakenly believed that they were doubting his talents as a seafaring captain. But he was still sure of himself. As he kept on rowing, the air began to grow thinner and colder.

Seeing his breath come out steaming in the cold, Haddock immediately stopped rowing and rubbed his hands on his arms, trying to stay warm. "Brrrrr, I'm so cold," Haddock said, shivering from the thin air that made the clouds cold. He then found that his voice was rather hoarse. "And thirsty," Haddock said, his voice rasping as he clasped his dry throat. "Oof, my throat is parched. Let's see if there's any fresh water."

Haddock then put the oars aside and began searching around for a source of fresh water to drink. Kneeling down beside the seat of the lifeboat, Haddock opened up a small compartment. He tried to find some water to refresh himself, until his hand touched something glass. And cold. Reaching inside, Haddock pulled out a whiskey bottle.

Haddock smiled.

"Ahhhhh," he muttered, admiring the bottle in his hands. "What have we here?" He then began to laugh to himself as he closed the compartment.

...

"Tintin. Malina."

Feeling dazed, Tintin opened his eyes weakly. So did Malina. Though his vision was still blurred, Tintin thought he saw a small, bright dot in the center of the lifeboat. He could've sworn he heard Haddock speaking.

Malina then woke up, rubbing her eyes. But the expression on her face was now in a state of shock.

"Tintin," Haddock kept saying. "Tintin. Malina. Come and warm yourselves, you two."

Tintin's eyes then fluttered open. Tintin was now wide awake, and in shock. Getting up, Tintin found Haddock standing away from him and near a small open fire, warming his butt. "Captain!" Malina said, now frightened. "There's a...there's a fire!" "Captain?" Tintin asked, now wide awake and startled. Pointing at the fire, Tintin asked, "W-What have you done?"

"Oh, no need to thank me," Haddock said, smiling. "Thank you? For what?" Malina asked, trying to step away from the fire. "What?" Tintin asked. "Well, you and that lass looked a little cold," Haddock said, rubbing his hands over the fire, "so I lit a wee fire."

"In a boat?!" Tintin exclaimed, his eyes wild. "Do you realize what level of crazy this is, captain?!" Malina asked. "We're going to burn to death here!" Tintin then saw that Haddock had broken the oars to light the fire in the boat. "No! Those are our oars!" Tintin exclaimed. "We need those oars!"

"Yes, but not for much longer," Haddock said as he snapped an oar in half in front of his knee. Then he tossed the broken oar into the fire. "Captain, we needed those to get to Bagghar!" Malina snapped. "Now how are we going to get there now?!"

"Have you gone mad?" Tintin asked. He then panicked, trying to put out the fire. "Quick, Captain! Help me!" Tintin exclaimed as he frantically splashed water from over the side to put out the fire. Malina then stepped in and tried to fan out the flames using her jacket. "Captain, help me quick!" Tintin said, panicking as he kept splashing water on the fire.

Haddock now felt guilty. "He's right," he whimpered. "What have I done? What have I done?" Looking around, he spotted the whiskey bottle. Picking it up, he opened up the bottle, and poured the rest of the whiskey into the flames.

"No captain!" Tintin and Malina both screamed. "Not that—!"

 ** _Boooom!_**

"Thunderin' typhoons!"

...

After that minor explosion, there was no way that the four were going to sit in a boat with a burnt hole in the center. So, they had flipped the boat over, and now the four were seated on top of the boat's bottom. Now they were stranded in the middle of the ocean, with no other plan.

"Well, this is a fine mess," Tintin said, throwing up his hand in desperation. Malina, who was sitting next to Tintin, had her arms crossed on her knees, looking even more angrier than ever. "I'm weak," Haddock muttered. "We're stranded here," Tintin said. "Selfish," Haddock told himself. "With no hope of rescue," Tintin complained. "I'm hopeless," Haddock kept ranting. "While Sakharine and his men are halfway to Bagghar," Tintin said. "Poor, miserable wretch!" Haddock wept. "Yes, all right!" Tintin exclaimed. "That's enough of that!"

"I can't believe this," Malina said, shaking her head angrily. "I was already so comfortable sitting around inside a prison cell on the ship, and now I'm gonna die stranded in the ocean, surrounded by two of the biggest idiots in history!" Tintin immediately felt a lump forming in his throat the minute Malina said that last sentence. "Are you still going to call me an idiot? After all that we've been through?" Tintin questioned angrily.

"Oh. I'm sorry, Mr. Tintin," Malina said sarcastically. "I meant to say that in the nicest possible way." "But you should thank me!" Tintin argued. "I saved your life! And the captain!" "But you kept finding me!" Malina said. "First, in the alleyways in Brussels, then with those goons, and now this!" "But they kidnapped you first!" Tintin snapped. "Then they caught you too!" Malina exclaimed. "And somehow, you still manage to find me!" "I didn't find you, you found me!" Tintin said. "Yes, you did!" Malina said. "I did not!" Tintin screamed. "Did!" Malina said. "Didn't!" Tintin said.

"Blistering barnacles, can you two jus' stop screaming and bickering like wee toddlers?" Haddock exclaimed, pushing the two aside. "I've already had enough to make myself guilty." "What do you mean?" Malina asked. "It was his fault, you see," Haddock said. "It was Sir Francis."

"Tell me," Tintin said, feeling much more calm, "how did you work that one out?" "Because he was a figurehead of great courage and bold exploits," Haddock muttered. "No one like him ever existed in my family. Why do you think I drink?" "Why?" Malina asked. "Because I know I'll never be like him," Haddock answered. "No, it's far better than I end it now. Put us both out of our misery."

...

Suddenly, Snowy began barking. "What is it, Snowy?" Tintin asked, petting Snowy on the head. "I'm going to lower myself into the sea," Haddock said to himself. "I think that's what's arousing your dog's attention, Mr. Tintin," Malina said, pointing to the sky. Tintin then squinted his eyes. It was a plane!

"Into the cold embrace of the of the big blue..." Haddock kept ranting. Tintin then noticed the numbers on the side of the plane. "Those," Tintin muttered. "Those are Portuguese markings." "Are you even listenin'?" Haddock asked, turning to Tintin. "Captain, where is the Karaboudjan registered?" Haddock then turned and looked at the sky. Sure enough, it was a plane. And it seemed to approach them.

"We're saved," Haddock said, feeling excited. "We're saved! Oh, it's a sign from above!"

But the ones piloting the plane turned out to be anything but friendly. Soon enough, gunshots began ringing out from each side of the plane, peppering the ocean. Tintin and the others took cover. It seemed clear that whoever was flying the plane, they were trying to kill Tintin and his friends.

Haddock immediately sprung to action, waving his fists around as the plan circled them. "Troglodytes!" Haddock exclaimed. "Captain, get down!" Tintin said, trying to push the captain down. "Looks like these pilots aren't particularly very friendly!" Malina said, covering her head with her jacket. "Slave traders!" Haddock kept shouting as he swung his fists in the air. "Mutant malingerers! Freshwater politicians!"

Tintin then had an idea. Taking out the gun he had swiped from Tom on the ship the other day, he checked the cartridge. The gun was still loaded with one bullet. "Bad news, captain," Tintin said. "We've only got one bullet." "And the good news?" Haddock asked. Tintin smiled as he aimed the gun high. "We've got one bullet," he said.

Tintin then fired at the plane. Malina could see smoke coming out from the plane's engine. "Yes! You got it right on the engine!" She exclaimed. "You got him!" Haddock said, nearly falling over the boat and landing in the ocean. "Ah, well done, my boy!" Soon, Tintin, Malina, and Snowy followed suit and hid behind the lifeboat.

Soon enough, the two pilots had emerged, to inspect the damage. Large clouds of smoke billowed out of the plane's engine.

Tintin suddenly had a plan. "Stay here, you too," Tintin told Haddock and Malina. Holding his breath, Tintin then swam beneath the surface of the ocean. "Tintin?" Haddock asked, but he turned to find that Tintin was gone. "Tintin!" "Tintin! Where are you going?" Malina asked.

Meanwhile, the two pilots were inspecting the damage in the engine of the seaplane. However, they were still trying to keep their focus on the lifeboat. "Don't take your eyes off them," one pilot ordered. "Hurry up." The other pilot then pulled out a gun and stood watch.

Meanwhile, Tintin swam closer to the plane, his hair tuft sticking out of the water.

Opening up the engine, the pilot began to find where the bullet had hit it. Sure enough, there was a bullet hole on the main engine. "Just as I thought," the pilot told his partner. "The ignition lead has been cut. Lucky shot!" The other pilot nodded. "One more pass, and we'll finish them off," he said.

Just at that moment, Tintin finally popped up from the water, his empty gun held up toward the pilots. "Put your hands in the air," Tintin ordered. "Now!"

The pilots, now fearing for their lives, eventually gave in and put their hands over their heads.


	15. Flight to Bagghar

(aboard the sea plane)

* * *

Having successfully stolen the seaplane from the two pilots, Tintin and the others now had a ride to Bagghar. After knocking out the two pilot, Tintin told Malina to tie them up. Malina obeyed and tied up the goons with sturdy rope that she had found inside the plane.

"Okay Tintin," Malina said as she climbed aboard the plane. "The two pilots have been apprehended and tied up. They should be quite comfy in the back." "Good girl," Tintin said. After Haddock and Snowy climbed on board, Tintin sat at the front of the plane.

"Okay, let's see," Tintin said, reading the instructional pamphlet in front of him. A seaplane like this should be pretty easy to fly, should it? "You do know what you're doing, eh Tintin?" Haddock asked nervously. "Um," Tintin said as he started the ignition, which Malina had luckily repaired, "more or less."

With a turn of the key, the plane's engine started. Soon enough, the plane was beginning to move forward.

"Wow! You're a pilot too?" Malina asked. "I didn't know you could fly!" "Eh, not really, Miss Ravenwood," Tintin said. "I'm just a reporter, you see." "Well, which is it?" Haddock asked. "More or less?" "Relax!" Tintin told Haddock. "I interviewed a pilot once!" Malina's expression still stayed frozen. Tintin wasn't a pilot at all. But she could still trust him with a plane, can she? "Well, you are just...full of surprises, aren't you Mr. Tintin?" Malina said.

As the plane started up, it began to lift. Though the takeoff was a little choppy, Tintin managed to get the plane to stay up in the air. Soon enough, they were already on their way to Bagghar!

"Which way to North Africa?" Tintin asked. "I'm gonna guess it's north, I presume?" Malina said. "Just a lucky guess." Tintin nodded and continued north. As the plane got higher, Tintin looked out his window and smiled. The Karaboudjan was just below them. Even if they were still heading to Bagghar faster than they already were, they were still behind. "Captain!" Tintin said. "Look! We've caught up with them!"

"Wonderful!" Haddock said, smiling as he applauded. But as he faced the front, his smile melted into a face of terror. His celebration lasted for only a moment. Pointing at the horizon, Haddock asked, "But you think we might find another way to North Africa that doesn't take us through that wall of death?"

"Wall of death?" Malina asked. "What do you mean, 'wall of—Oh no." Malina then saw a cluster of dark clouds gathering beyond the horizon. They weren't just any kind of dark clouds...They were storm clouds! Malina almost shivered at the thought of flying through a thunderstorm. "Tintin, are you sure this is a good way to go?" Malina asked. "Because I'd like to..oh, I don't know...not die?!"

But Tintin was still determined to get to Bagghar, no matter the circumstances. "We can't turn back! Not now!" Tintin said. "Not now."

...

By then, the plane began flying through the dark clouds, en route to Bagghar. Soon, the bright sky had faded from a sky blue to a darkish gray color. Soon, thunder rumbled and shook the plane as rain began pelting the plane's windowshield. At that moment, lightning cracked, causing the plane to shake like a ball bouncing around inside. By then, Captain Haddock was now having a panic attack.

Trying to regain his breath, Haddock saw something that caught his eye. It was a small green bottle, with a white label that had a red-colored cross embedded on it. Now Haddock had a sudden urge to drink. Reaching out his hand, Haddock tried to grab the bottle. Instead, he received a slap on the hand from Tintin. "No Captain!" Tintin snapped. "Those are surgical spirits for medicinal purposes only!"

"Oh, right!" Haddock said, slapping his head. "Quite right, laddie. Quite right."

Haddock diligently obeyed and kept his hands to himself. However, in between the thunder and lightning that raged on, Haddock was still panicking. Another bolt of lightning crackled and shook the plane from the left wing, causing the bottle to slide backward towards Haddock. It felt like riding on a rollercoaster! Malina felt herself being rocked back and forth, getting hit in the head.

Meanwhile, as he was grabbing the bottle, Haddock tried to unscrew the top.

"Hey!" Malina exclaimed, trying to snatch the bottle from Haddock. "Don't you dare!"

Suddenly, the plane began to swerve in different directions. At that moment, the plan then began to plunge forward into a nosedive. Haddock was now practically screaming for his life. At that moment, the two pilots in the back began to float, along with Snowy, Malina, and Haddock.

Malina then felt her stomach rise to her throat. She was beginning to feel dizzy. "Tintin!" Malina said. "How can you fly a plane like this?!" "What do you mean?" Tintin asked. "Are you getting airsick?" "No, I'm not airsick!" Malina said, still in shock. "I just get massive dizzy spells from nosedives in planes!" "Okay, just hold on tight!" Tintin exclaimed. "Okay!" Malina assured him. "Just consider yourself lucky I don't vomit on you!" Tintin almost gulped after hearing Malina said that.

Meanwhile, after Haddock had unscrewed the bottle, he then saw a blob of the whiskey floating in the air, suspended by the gravity. "Ah," Haddock muttered. , his eyes widening as he saw it float in front of him. Pursing his lips, Haddock tried to suck in the blob. But Snowy, having seen the glob of whiskey floating, then floated toward it. Snowy then caught the floating blob, slurping it up in one gulp.

By then, Tintin managed to get the plane back upwards. Soon, the gravity returned to normal. Malina then fell back on her seat, landing hard on her bottom. "Ow!" She exclaimed. Snowy then landed underneath Tintin's seat, ultimately releasing a tiny burp. "Oh no, little dog," Malina said, with a twinge of sympathy. "Hope you don't get sick."

Tintin then managed to get the plane flying upright, until it managed to plunge into a second nosedive. Soon, the nosedive began to make the other passengers float as well. "Don't get sick, don't get sick, don't sick..." Malina kept mumbling to herself, for she began to develop another dizzy spell. Luckily, she didn't feel an urge to vomit.

Meanwhile, Haddock kept grasping the bottle, until another blob of alcohol floated upward. Snowy, who was floating, held out his tongue as he flew toward the blob. However, Haddock was quicker than him. Haddock eventually managed to grab Snowy's snout and stopped him from slurping it up. He held Snowy's tongue as he greedily slurped up the blob.

Finally, the plane was back to flying in its upright position. However, there was another problem. The propellers stopped working!

Tintin then looked at the dial, and the needle was now shifting toward empty! "No, no, no!" Tintin said as he tried tapping on the dial, but to no avail. "The fuel tank! It's almost empty!" Tintin tried to think, then an idea popped in his head. "Captain!" Tintin said. "This may sound crazy, but I've got a plan!" "Really?! What's your plan?" Malina asked, shouting over the noise of the thunder and lightning.

Tintin then pointed to the bottle that Haddock had put on the floor. "The alcohol in that bottle may give us a few more miles!" He said. Gesturing to the fuel tanks, Tintin told Haddock, "I need you to climb out of the plane and pour it into the fuel tank!" "No Tintin! Bad idea!" Malina exclaimed. "Those winds are way too strong to be out there! They could blow him away in a matter of seconds!" "That's another thing you don't know!" Tintin said. "I've always got a plan! Trust me; there's a lot you don't know about me!"

Even though Malina still doubted Tintin's idea, she still decided to give Haddock a parachute that had been lying around in the plane. After Haddock had strapped the parachute onto him, he then opened up the door. Outside, the winds were now howling with rage. "Christopher Columbus!" Haddock cried out. Feeling so spooked, Haddock immediately went back inside the plane, his face wild with terror.

"T-There's a terrible storm out there!" Haddock said. "And it...it's raining!" Tintin then turned around to berate Haddock's cowardice. "And you call yourself a Haddock?" Tintin questioned. "You can't give up now, Captain!" Malina said. "You can do this!" "Okay then!" Haddock said as he opened the door and stepped out of the plane, still grasping the railings. But the wind kept pulling him. The storm's winds were so strong!

"Captain? Captain!" Tintin cried out. "Can you hear me? Captain! Captain!" At that moment, Haddock appeared on the left side of Tintin's window. He was okay! Still frightened, but okay. "You're doing fine!" Tintin reassured Haddock. "Now, pour the bottle into the tank. We're running on fumes!"

Haddock then took a look at the fuel tank. He too had a plan, but one entirely different than Tintin's plan. "FUUUUUMMMMEESS!" Haddock roared. Haddock then stealthily walked across the plane's railings. Finally, he climbed on top of the engine and sat on the fuel tanks. He then unscrewed the lid of the fuel tank.

As Tintin tried to navigate the plane, he found the empty bottle slide toward him. He then looked at Malina. "I tried to stop him," she said. Tintin looked at her and back at the empty bottle. "Oh no," Tinting gulped.

Outside, Haddock began hitting his chest gently with his fist, clearing his breath. At last, he began to feel something rise to his throat. Leaning downwards toward the opening in the fuel tanks, Haddock leaned forward and delivered a belch so loud and so disgusting that the air traveled through the engines.

"Eww, that's so gross!" Malina exclaimed, covering her ears.

But it seemed to work a little too well. As the propellers began turning again, smoke began to come out of the propellers Soon, fire began exploding out of the engine. The explosion sent Haddock sliding backwards, blocking the windshield. "Captain!" Tintin screamed. "Captain, I can't see!" Haddock sat upright. Soon, he noticed large dunes below. "Land!" He started to cry out. "Land!" "We can't!" Tintin cried out. "We're not there yet!"

...

Soon, the plane was now flying over the large sand dunes as it was flying very crookedly. Inside, the two unconscious pilots had finally woken up. And they were determined to escape.

"Tintin, whatever you're doing, we're still gonna crash!" Malina screamed. "We are not gonna crash!" Tintin assured Malina. "Now let me concentrate!" Tintin then grabbed a hold of the lever in front of him and tried to stop the plane. "No, no no, starboard!" Haddock screamed, pointing toward the other direction. "Starboard! Starboard!" The plane then began swerving in different directions as it was close to nearing the ground. By then, Malina had grown even dizzier by the minute.

Haddock clung to the airplane for dear life. By that time, the two pilots inside had regained full consciousness and were now searching for parachutes to make their escape. As the plane was trying to fly so steadily, a lightning bolt shot out from the sky, striking Haddock and electrocuting him. This sent Haddock flying toward the wings of the plane. At that moment, Haddock's parachute had opened up, the cloth billowing out from the wind. Sliding past the wings, Haddock grabbed onto the plane's tail, crying out in fear.

By then, the two pilots had already strapped on their parachutes. Soon enough, the two pilots leaped off the plane, opening their parachutes as they escaped, floating down to safety.

"Tintin, we're right near the dunes! We're going to crash!" Malina kept screaming. "Not yet, we're not!" Tintin exclaimed as he kept grabbing onto the lever, trying to to steer the plane. But as Tintin tried to steady the plane, the lever broke! "Uh oh," Tintin said. His eyes grew wide; the plane was right near the dunes! Tintin then grabbed Snowy and braced for impact. "Look out!" Tintin screamed.

And by that time, the plane had crashed headlong into the sand dunes, somersaulting multiple times. It kept flipping over until it eventually crashed down on the ground hard. The crash was so hard that it knocked the wind right out of Tintin, as he slammed against the windshield, breaking it open. The windshield slid toward the propellers, shredding it to bits. Malina regained her balance and noticed the propellers were still activated. "Tintin!" She screamed. "Tintin, wake up!" Poor little Snowy was tugging at Tintin;s sweater, trying to arouse him.

"Hang on, Tintin!" Haddock exclaimed as he was floating over the plane. By then, he had floated above the smoke emitting from the planes, mixed with the dust of the sand. Haddock tried to land on the plane, but the plane kept sliding downward. Floating around, Haddock kept screaming, "Coming!" But Tintin was still unconscious. As Haddock finally managed to reach the plane, he accidentally caused Tintin to slide forward toward the propellers. By then, Snowy was now howling.

Tintin's head was right near the active propellers. The propellers were so close to slicing off his head!

Luckily, Haddock grabbed Tintin by the waist, with Malina still grabbing his legs. Then, Haddock threw the both of them onto the wings of the plane, with Malina landing on the sand. Haddock then felt his parachute snag into the propellers as he was pulled back, spinning around until the parachute's strings snapped and broke, launching him on to the ground.

By then, Tintin had woken up. After noticing the damage around him and Captain Haddock lying on the ground, he sighed heavily with relief. "Woof, that was close," Tintin muttered. He then noticed Malina on the ground, her face now mildly pale. She was already breathing heavily, uttering loud, dry heaves in the process. She was just so drained of energy!

"Malina?" Tintin asked as he lowered himself down, landing where Malina was. "Malina, you okay?" Malina then stared at him after heaving one last time. She then sighed, and spit on Tintin's face. Tintin then felt the moist drop of spit hit him in the eye as he wiped it off.

"Tintin," Malina said, still dizzy from the flight, "you..." She paused to see Tintin's hand stroking her arm. "Tintin," Malina said, finally breathing, "you are, by far, the craziest man I have ever met in my life." She then smiled. "And for that," she said, "I owe you my life." "You hurt anywhere?" Tintin asked. "No. Just a bit of a massive dizzy spell," Malina said. "But can you promise me one more thing, Tintin?"

"Yes. What?" Tintin asked.

"That we never do another stunt like this ever again," Malina said, spitting on the ground. "Or else, I really will vomit all over you."


	16. Desert Trails and Harrowing Tales

(at the Sahara Desert)

* * *

After that ferocious storm had passed, the dark clouds then away to reveal a boiling hot sun as the sky had become clearer. Now Tintin, Malina, Snowy, and Haddock were stranded in the desert after that crazy plane crash. And on an extremely hot day. Now the only thing they had to worry about was surviving the intense heat.

Tintin and Haddock had to keep themselves cool, so they wrapped kerchiefs around their heads to protect them from the heat. Haddock had taken off his sweater and jacket, whereas Tintin took off his blue pullover and wrapped around his waist. Even Malina was melting from the heat.

"Oh my, it's so hot out here," Malina said as she undid the buttons of her gray shirt. She had been lucky to have worn a navy blue tank top underneath as she diligently wrapped her shirt round her waist. Using the bluish green kerchief she wore round her neck, Malina wrapped her long brown hair into a messy bun, and covered it with her kerchief.

Soon, the three began treading the sandy dunes of the desert as the heat of the sun had raged on. The only wind that blew was only enough to blow the sand. Malina held on to her jacket, the beads of sweat forming from her arms as they stuck to the leather. Meanwhile, Tintin was holding on to Haddock as they walked, while Snowy trotted through the sand with a large bone in his mouth. However, it wasn't long before the heat started getting to Haddock very quickly.

"The land of thirst," Haddock mumbled loudly. "The land of thirst..." "Will you stop saying that?" Tintin complained, already growing tired by the Captain's rants. "I didn't think I'd find myself stranded out here in the desert," Malina said. "Even I'm parched." Malina cleared her throat several times, which hurt her.

Haddock then knelt down in desperation. "Y-You don't understand. I've run out," Haddock whimpered, holding an empty whiskey bottle. "I've run out. "You don't know what that means."

"Captain, we have to keep going. One step at a time," Tintin told the Captain, snatching the bottle from him. "Come on, on your feet!" Haddock obeyed and grabbed Tintin's arm. "Lean your weight on me," Tintin ordered as Haddock leaned himself onto Tintin. Soon, they kept on walking.

"A man can only hang on so long without his vitals," Haddock complained. "Captain, calm down," Tintin grumbled. "There are worse things than sobering up." "You can say that again," Malina said. "In any given moment now, hungry vultures will be circling around us before we even have a chance to stop them." "You're absolutely right, Miss Ravenwood," Tintin said, winking.

However, Haddock didn't listen to them. The heat was getting so strong that Haddock was soon close to losing his sanity. "Look Tintin!" Haddock exclaimed, suddenly pointing forward. "We're saved! Water! Water!" At that moment, Haddock pushed Tintin away and began racing forward through the dunes. "Stop, Captain!" Tintin exclaimed. Climbing up one dune, Snowy then bit the straps of Haddock's suspenders and tried to pull him back. Haddock then fell over the dune. He looked about ready to cry, for there was no spot of water in plain sight.

"Captain, it's just a mirage!" Tintin said as he tumbled down the dune alongside the captain. "B-But it was here. I saw it," Haddock said. "It was just your mind playing tricks. It's the heat!" Tintin said. Malina could only shrug. "Then I guess Uncle Jay was right," Malina muttered to herself. "When the heat starts getting to you and you start acting crazy, you're not human." Snowy nestled up to Malina, the bone still in his mouth. Malina smiled and sniffed a bit as she patted Snowy on the head.

"I have to go home," Haddock kept saying. "What?" Tintin asked in disbelief. Haddock put his hand to the sky. "I have to go back to the sea," he said. Tintin could only sigh in disdain. "Captain, you're hallucinating," he said. "Yes, Captain. A lot of us are now tired and thirsty, but you're imagining things," Malina said. "There's no sea anywhere from this point."

"No. Look," Haddock said, still pointing toward the horizon in wonder. "Did you ever see a more beautiful sight? She's turning into the wind, all sails set," he said, awestruck. "Triple masted. Double decks. Fifty guns..."

Tintin felt a lump forming in his throat after Haddock had said those three sentences. But he knew what was happening. It was all coming together!

"The Unicorn?" Tintin asked. Malina suddenly stared at the two with a mix of shock and wonder. "He's finally remembering the story of the Unicorn," she whispered under her breath.

"Aye, isn't she a beauty?" Haddock asked, smiling.

"Yes! Yes it is!" Tintin said, smiling as he locked arms with Haddock. "Tell me, Captain," he said softly, "what else can you see?"

Haddock stared out beyond the sand dunes as his memory of the Unicorn was finally coming together. "She's go the wind behind her. Look at the pace she's setting! Barely a day out of Barbados," Haddock said, without looking at Tintin, Malina, or Snowy. "A hold full of rum and the finest tobacco, and the hearts of the sailors set for home..."

Tintin and Malina both sat down on top of a sandy hill as Haddock had begun to narrate a spinning yarn full of adventurous pirates, a majestic ship...and an ill fated voyage that would become one to remember.

* * *

 _Large storm clouds had darkened the once blue sky as the Unicorn was courageously venturing through the churning waves of the vast blue ocean below. Sir Francis Haddock and his crew had just returned from a bustling trade negotiation in Barbados, the hold filled with some of the most exotic rum and tobacco one had ever laid eyes on. Now, Sir Francis Haddock was prepared to return back home after the Unicorn's maiden voyage. However, this expedition would soon become all but memorable._

 _It was no sooner than Sir Francis heard a crow from atop the crow's nest. Hurrying toward the upper deck, he whipped out his telescope and tried to spot the danger. Soon enough, his hunch was correct; he saw a rogue ship navigating straight toward the Unicorn. It was flying a red flag._

 _Sir Francis put down the telescope. "The red pennant," he muttered under his breath._

 _"The blood runs cold in every sea captain who looks upon that flag, for he knows he's facing a fight to the death," Haddock continued to narrate. "But Sir Francis is a Haddock. And Haddocks don't flee."_

 _"All hands on deck! Gunners to their stations!" Sir Francis ordered as he called for his crew members on the deck, barking orders at them. "Let's unload the King's shot into these yellow bellied, lily livered sea slugs!" Soon, the crew was scrambling all over the ship, preparing to open fire. Sir Francis then turned to his right-hand assistant, Mr. Nicholls. "Prepare to bring her about, Mr. Nicholls," Sir Francis ordered._

 _"Aye aye, sir," Mr. Nicholls said, nodding his head and turning to the crew. "Prepare to bring her about!"_

 _All of Sir Francis's loyal crew members prepared to brace for the attack as they all shouted orders at each other._

 _"Fire!"_

 _"Portside gun, fire!"_

 _"Look lively, lads!"_

 _Soon, cannon shots began to pierce the sky as the Red Pennant shot their cannons toward the Unicorn, causing the ship to envelop in flames. As a similar reaction, the Unicorn had too fired its cannons in retaliation. Soon, it began to melt into a battle beyond epic proportions. And throughout all that, Sir Francis still remained calm and demure amidst all that chaos._

 _Soon enough, the rogue ship had crashed headlong into the Unicorn, locking both the ships' masts together. Sir Francis then approached Mr. Nicholls as the entire crew was taking fire. "Mr. Nicholls, secure the cargo!" Sir Francis ordered. He was now worried that the "secret cargo" he held in the hull would be destroyed. "Right you are, sir," Mr. Nicholls answered as he took off. "Prepare to repel all borders!" Sir Francis barked, whipping out his sword from its scabbard._

 _More and more pirates got ready for the attack as they were prepared to fight alongside Sir Francis. They were more than determined to protect the Unicorn at all costs. Soon, the attack launched as more rogue pirates swung from their ship and onto the Unicorn's deck. The fight was gruesome, but it was for the good of the Unicorn. Many had lost their lives._

 _"This way!" One pirate had shouted as he waved to a few more of his mates. "We need more men!" The Unicorn was being rocked by the waves as more pirates began to run across the mast to slay the others on the Red Pennant._

 _Now the waves of the ocean had begun to grow choppy as the battle had raged on. But Sir Francis was different from other sea captains that had come before him: he always had a plan up his sleeve. Eventually engaging into the battle himself, Sir Francis hurried across the mast, his sword held high as his fellow crew members bravely fought against the rogue pirates._

 _Like a swift hawk, Sir Francis slid across the ropes like a zip line. Finally landing on the deck, Sir Francis cut off the rope as soon as he was about to reach the deck. And finally igniting a cannon, Sir Francis shot a cannon straight toward the evil pirates, sending them overboard and into their watery grave._

 _"And then he saw him," Haddock said._

 _Sir Francis looked over his shoulder and froze. Walking along the mast amidst the fiery red embers of the flames from within the ship, a mysterious caped figure with a red mask was approaching Sir Francis. It was Sir Francis's true enemy..._

* * *

"...Like a phantom rising from the dead," Haddock said, his arm still held high. Now Tintin was eager to find out who was the mysterious stranger that Haddock was talking about. "Who?" Tintin asked. "Captain, who did he see?" "Yea, there has to be more to this story," Malina said. "Who was that mysterious stranger?"

Haddock stared all around him, looking horrified. Suddenly, he lost the story and turned to the youths. "I-It's gone," Haddock whimpered. "What do you mean, gone?" Tintin asked. "What happened next?"

Haddock then began to touch his beard with his sweaty hands and gasped. "By Jupiter, I have a beard!" He exclaimed. "Since when did I have a beard?!" "Captain, come on. Tell us more!" Malina gently pressed on. "What was it that happened on the ship?" "Come on, Captain. Something happened on the Unicorn," Tintin said. "It's the key to everything. You must try to remember."

"The Unicorn?" Haddock asked. "What? I'm so terribly thirsty..."

"Captain!" Tintin exclaimed

"Tintin, Malina," Haddock said. "W-What is happening to me?"

Tintin and Malina could only watch as Haddock was pacing around in different directions. He had went so long without a single drop of alcohol. Now his mind was being fried. He had snapped. As Haddock stared out at the sandy horizon in front of him, Haddock suddenly fell backward, falling.

Tintin was lucky enough to have caught the Captain in his arms. "Woo," Tintin said, sighing. "And to think...all it took was one day in the Sahara." Turning to Haddock, Tintin sighed with relief. "Congratulations, Captain," he said, breathing heavily. "You're sober." That last word had echoed in Haddock's mind.

"Sober..."

Malina tried to find if someone was still outside so she could flag them down. However, her legs began to tremble violently. She too was growing weak. Suddenly, she gently lowered herself to the ground and laid right next to Tintin. She could feel the walls of her throat sticking together. Soon, large beads of sweat formed all over her face and chest as she felt her eyes droop heavily.

"Well," Malina whispered, "that's that. Now I guess there's nothing else to do here, except sit here...and wait...until the vultures...come...pecking out...our...innards..."

...

Hours passed, and soon enough, Tintin, Malina, and Haddock had all passed out from massive dehydration and laid down on the sand in different positions. Only Snowy remained awake as he stood at attention, ready to attack any intruders. As night fell, Snowy then began to see beams of light coming from the dunes. At that moment, Snowy found a group of desert soldiers who were riding on their camels along the dunes.

Luckily, Snowy began to bark crazily, which aroused the attention of one soldier. Getting down from his camel with a lantern in hand, the soldier patted Snowy on the head. "Good dog!" The soldier said. He then walked over to Tintin, who was lying on the sand close to Malina, both holding hands. He put his hand to Tintin's chest, and sighed with relief. His heart was still beating.

"This one's alive!" He said. "And so is the girl!" He thenturned to his comrades. "Check the other!" He ordered, pointing to Haddock, who was sprawled all over the sand. "Yes, sir," his partner said as he went to examine Haddock. Soon enough, the soldiers then loaded the three unconscious victims onto separate camels. Then, they took the three to a remote desert outpost to help them recover.


	17. Recovery and Remembrance

(At the Afghar desert outpost)

* * *

Slowly stirring around in her sleep, Malina kept muttering strange gibberish. Her mind was so clouded up that she could not think straight. Her eyes fluttering open, Malina began to whine silently. She swore that she could've heard voices, but she could not see anything.

"Miss? Miss, are you okay?"

"PLANE CRASH!"

At that moment, Malina screamed and started flailing her fists around in defense. Then she fell back on to the bed. She felt a hand clasp her arm and help her up. Her vision now clear, Malina found that she was inside some sort of dark bedroom, with the sun shining through a small square window. She then felt a hand grasp her shoulder. Sitting next to her was a man wearing white robes with dark brown, billowing trousers. He held a dipper out to her.

"Here you are, Miss," the doctor had told her. "Take a drink."

Malina slowly brought the dipper to her mouth and sipped the liquid, which she immediately recognized as water. At that moment, Malina then brought it to her mouth and began guzzling the water, occasionally breathing in between sips. That water had never felt so good.

"Thank you," Malina said. "What is this place, anyway?" "Ah, you're in a desert outpost in Afgar," the doctor had told her. Looking around, Malina started to panicked.

"But how exactly did I get here?" Malina asked. "And where are my friends? Are they okay?"

"They're in the other rooms next to you," the doctor had told her. "They've been recovering from massive dehydration, heat exposure, as well as fevers. The lieutenant and his mates found you all unconscious the night before. Luckily, your dog got our attention." Malina then looked around and back at the doctor. "I apologize if I have startled you," the doctor told her. "You spent the whole morning asleep while recovering from heat exposure."

He then gestured to a small table that held a plate containing a flatbread sandwich, along with apple slices, grapes and strawberries. "You must be hungry after surviving out in the desert for too long," the doctor told Malina. "So please. Eat something."

Malina slowly got out of bed. She looked down and found that she was wearing an oversized, brownish-white tunic, along with a large brown skirt and grayish-blue belt. Malina then tried to find her boots, but only found dark brown ballerina flats as she put them on her bare feet.

Trudging over to the table, she grabbed the sandwich and began devouring it. As she began shoving grapes into her mouth, there was a knock at the door.

"You may enter," the doctor said.

The door slowly opened, and Tintin and Snowy were at the door. Tintin had the sleeves on his white shirt rolled up to his elbow. His fair skin had some hints of a sunburn. Snowy barked happily as he immediately pranced over to Malina, nuzzling her legs. "Tintin!" Malina said as she got up. "You're still okay!" She then raced over to Tintin, embracing him. "I thought you were dead!" "So did I!" Tintin said. Malina still held on to Tintin for a long time, squeezing him.

"Miss Ravenwood," Tintin managed to squeak. "Miss Ravenwood. You...You're um...You're crushing me!" "Sorry," Malina said as she let her grasp loose. Tintin caught his breath as he put both arms on his knees, wheezing. "You're quite strong!" He said. "I am, aren't I?" Malina said, chewing a strand of her hair.

At that moment, there was another knock on the door. "Come in!" Malina said. The door opened, and a man entered. He wore desert clothes. "I see the two of you are awake," he said with a heavy French accent. "That's good news." "We are, sir," Malina said. "What about our friend? The one with the beard?" The man smiled. "Come along, you two," he said, waving his hand toward the door.

...

Outside, Tintin and Malina found themselves at a rather interesting place. There were soldiers marching in formation, armed with guns. Other men were simply walking in and out of brick clay huts. They were busy either cleaning, writing important documents, or doing chores. There were rows of stables where camels were resting, eating, or drinking water. As Snowy was making friends with a camel, Malina asked the man, "What is this place? Who are you?"

"I'm Lieutenant Delcourt," the man said, introducing himself. "Welcome to the Afghar Outpost." "Thank you, Lieutenant," Tintin said. "We owe you our lives." "Yes, thank you so much for helping us out," Malina said. Tintin then looked all around. "Did you find our friend?" He asked.

"Yes, but he's not in good shape, I'm afraid," Delcourt told them. "He's still suffering the effects of acute dehydration. He's still delirious." He then took a look at the medical barracks. "Why don't we pay him a visit?" He asked.

Delcourt then opened the door to find Haddock sitting on top of a bed, immobile. He was holding a small cup in his hand. "Haddock, you're awake!" Delcourt said. "Good! I have visitors for you." As Tintin entered, he asked, "Hello?" "Captain? Are you okay?" Malina asked, cupping her hands. "Hello!" Haddock said cheerfully. "I think you two have got the wrong room."

"Captain, it's Tintin. And our friend Malina," Tintin said, gesturing to himself and Malina. "Our plane crashed in the desert. Don't you remember?" "Plane?" Haddock asked, confused. "No no no, I'm a naval man myself. I never fly if I can help it." He turned to Delcourt. "They've got me confused with someone else," he said. "Hmm," Delcourt said, stroking his chin. "How does he not remember who we are?" Malina asked, running her fingers through her hair.

Haddock then held up the small cup to his face. "What is this peculiar liquid?" He asked. "There's no bouquet. It's completely transparent!" Delcourt inspected the cup very carefully. "Why, it's water," he said. "Ah, what will they think of next?" Haddock asked himself.

Staring at the cup in Haddock's hands, Snowy sniffed a little and wandered off to a faraway table. Snow hopped up and found a clear bottle of spirits resting on the table. Sniffing the bottle, Snowy then grabbed the bottle with his teeth.

"We suspect he has a concussion," Delcourt told Tintin and Malina. "Heatstroke. Delirium..." "He just didn't have no alcohol to drink," Malina said. "That's why he's asking those stupid questions." "Yes, he's sober," Tintin said. Walking to Haddock's bedside, Tintin was determined to get Haddock to finish the story. "Now Captain," Tintin said, "out in the desert..." "The desert?" Haddock asked. "Yes, you were talking about Sir Francis," Tintin said. "Sir who?" Haddock asked. "Sir Francis," Tintin pressed on. "And you were telling me about what happened on the Unicorn."

As the two weren't looking, Snowy had placed the bottle he had grabbed onto the bedside table. "No Snowy," Malina whispered.

"The unicorn!" Haddock said. Tintin thought it might be a clue. "Yes, the Unicorn!" Tintin said. However, Haddock held his head, lost in some sort of fantasy. "Ooh, the stuff that that dreams are made of," Haddock said, smiling. "Wee children's dreams." Tintin was clearly growing annoyed of the captain. "No, the ship," Tintin said. "Please try to remember. Lives are at risk!"

At that moment, Snowy spun the bottle toward Haddock just as he was reaching for his cup of water. Haddock then reached for the bottle and brought it to his lips, drinking from it. "Snowy, what have you done?" Tintin asked, scolding Snowy. Meanwhile, Haddock had practically finished drinking the whole bottle. "I don't understand," Malina said. "What's gonna happen? Is he going to explode or something?" Tintin then stared at the captain for a moment. The captain's face was beginning to turn red. "I'd stand back if I were you," Tintin warned Delcourt.

Suddenly, Haddock's face had turned red as he was beginning to hyperventilate violently, breathing in broken spasms as he was trembling violently.

"He's snapped!" Delcourt exclaimed. "Everybody out of the room!" Tintin ordered as the others were escaping to the other room. Snowy could only cower in fear, regretting what he had done. "Snowy!" Tintin shouted as Malina hurried to grab Snowy. By then, Haddock was screaming and moaning loudly in the infirmary. "He's insane!" Delcourt warned as soldiers escorted them to the other room.

By then, Haddock had broken down the door and knocked over two soldiers. He then snatched a sword from a soldier and began waving it around, as if he were trying to fight someone. "Show yourself, Red Rackham!" he shouted. Grabbing a nearby sword, Haddock began waving it around as he broke down the door. Malina could see it in his eyes. _He's remembering the rest of the story!_ Malina thought to herself.

 _Sir Francis was prepared to fight to protect his beloved ship. "If it's a fight you want..."_

"...you've met your match!" Haddock shouted as he leapt on top of a desk. "Wait! A fight with who?" Tintin asked as he and Malina hid beneath a chair. "To the death," Haddock said as he swung his sword. By then, soldiers appeared, armed with rifles.

" _Red Rackham!"_

 _Sir Francis then took up his sword and battled the fearsome pirate captain. Red Rackham then whipped off his cape as it burned in the flames. By the time he had removed his cape, Sir Francis leapt onto the deck. However, he heard a snap and a splintering of wood. He looked up and found the mast rapidly falling. It crashed down hard, knocking him over. As soon as Sir Francis had come to, he was faced with pirates pointing their swords at him._

By then, Haddock had swung the sword, causing a fan to fall and hit him in the head. Haddock toppled over from the table and fell to the ground. He soon found himself at the tips of the rifles the guards were holding, with the fan on top of him. "Wait Captain," Tintin said. "What's going on?" Malina asked. Soon enough, Haddock felt something snap in his brain.

Haddock smiled. "I remember everythin' now," he said. "Everything Granddaddy told me." Tintin and Malina both smiled with anticipation.

"Go on," Malina said softly. "What else happed during Sir Francis's battle?"

"The Unicorn was taken," Haddock said, sighing heavily. "The pirates were now masters of the ship." He looked up at the sky and sighed wistfully. "So the crew surrendered?" Tintin asked. Haddock breathed heavily. "Granddaddy said that Red Rackham called Sir Francis the King's dog," Haddock said, getting to his feet. "A pirate hunter hunter sent to reclaim their hard-won plunder..."

...

 _Sir Francis had been pulled back by the crew. He was captured. A pirate had tied him to the mast as Red Rackham ordered his crew to imprison the rest of Sir Francis's crew. They even ordered the crew to walk the plank. Many fell to their deaths, as a meal for the hungry sharks that lived in the sea below._

 _"Why would I waste my time on rum, tobacco, molasses, and dates," Red Rackham had said, "when you have a more valuable cargo on board?" He leaned in close to Sir Francis and demanded, "Where is it?"_

 _"You'll have to kill me first," Sir Francis sneered._

 _"Not first, no," Red Rackham said. He then directed his sword to the crew, who was now tied up as they stood at the edge of the ship. They were not ready to accept their fate._

 _"I'll start with your men."_

 _..._

"To save his men," Haddock continued, "he would have to give up the secret cargo." "And where was it?" Tintin asked.

Haddock then strolled over to a bookshelf and touched the books gently. He then pulled down one book, as if he were about to activate a secret passageway.

 _Sir Francis then activated a secret passageway as he pulled down a book from within a bookcase. He then led Rec Rackham toward a trapdoor down to the hull. There, the hull was filled with many treasures. There were millions of gold coins, diamonds, jewelry, and multicolored gems that anyone had ever laid eyes on._

 _"Four hundred weight of gold, jewels, and treasures," Haddock narrated._

 _Red Rackham walked over to the treasure, and scooped up a fistful of gold coins. He watched as the coins glowed in his palm, like tiny suns._

 _That was when Rackham pointed the sword to his minions, and gave the order. "Kill his men!" Red Rackham ordered._

 _"No, Rackham!" Sir Francis cried out. "No!" But his efforts to stop him were futile, as two more of Rackham's minions held him back. Sir Francis could only watch with tears as his crew jumped helplessly off the ship and to their deaths, being devoured by sharks._

 _"Rackham!" Sir Francis bellowed. "Rackham, you gave me your word! Rackham!"_

 _"RACKHAM!"_

 _..._

Haddock looked back at the soldiers, then back to Tintin and Malina. It almost pained him to retell that horrifying part of the story. But his friends were so eager to find out more.

"Sir Francis knew he was doomed," Haddock continued to say. "That he'd be hung from the highest yardarm." As Haddock rested on a table, Malina and Tintin leaned forward, ready to find out the next part. Haddock then took a quill from the desk and gazed upon it. At that moment, he smiled. "But they didn't reckon one thing!" Haddock said. "Sir Francis was a Haddock. And a Haddock always has a trick up his sleeve!"

 _As Sir Francis looked over his shoulder, he found the rest of Rackham's crew passed out on the floor from guzzling the rum on the ship. They were sprawled across the deck, as rats were scurrying all over them. He then remembered hiding a small knife in his hat, one that had been cleverly adorned by a feather. Flipping his head, Sir Francis managed to knock over the knife and caught it in between his teeth. He then let it fall to his open hand, and he cut the ropes off of him._

"And with that," Haddock narrated, "he hurls himself forward!" He flung up his fists in demonstration. "On the pirates?" Tintin asked in disbelief. "Like that? Unarmed?" "That could've gotten him caught, wouldn't it?" Malina asked.

"No!" Haddock said. "No, on a bottle of rum rolling on the deck." He then found a bottle of whiskey on the table. Picking it up, he uncorked the screw. The soldiers who had been standing by immediately put their guns up in retaliation. "And he opens it," Haddock said, "and puts it to his lips, and..."

Tintin then gently put the bottle down. "And then he stops," Tintin said firmly. "'This is no time for drinking,' he says. 'I need all my wits about me.'" Haddock then put down the bottle as the guards put their rifles to rest. "With that," he said, "he puts down the bottle and..."

"Yes, yes. He puts down the bottle," Haddock said. As he pulled out the sword, he exclaimed, "And he seizes a cutlass!"

...

 _Sir Francis then darted for the stairs as he went down to the lower decks and entered the ammunitions room. Everywhere, there were barrels and guns._

 _"And then he makes his way to the ship's magazine," Haddock narrated, "where they keep all the gunpowder and the shot!"_

 _Sir Francis uncorked the screw of a barrel that held gunpowder. He watched the black powder trickle as he carried the barrel back up to make a trail. He was carrying out this plan perfectly. As he was about to reach the upper deck, Sir Francis heard a voice that made his blood boil._

 _"You dog!" Red Rackham exclaimed. "You'd blow us sky high?!"_

 _"Come on, then," Sir Francis said, whipping out his sword. "Let's have you."_

 _At that moment, Sir Francis then slashed through a rope suspending a lantern. The lantern then fell and broke, ultimately lighting the gunpowder trail. Soon, he and Red Rackham engaged in a sword battle of wits. As the two dueled, Red Rackham kept trying to stop the fuse, kicking it off. "Not this time!" He sneered._

 _Sir Francis then ignited the fuse again. Then, the two pirate captains continued in their sword duel as the gunpowder trail was being lit. As it snaked its way down the stairs, Red Rackham swooped down to deflect his attack. The attack then moved on to the second room. Soon enough, another pirate got up and engaged in the battle as Red Rackham kicked out the fuse again._

 _Not wanting to give up, Sir Francis then cut the rope from another lantern, and it fell, reigniting the fuse. As the duel continued, Sir Francis blocked Red Rackham's attack and flung him to the ground. With his sword, Sir Francis whipped off Red Rackham's mask and revealed his face. Red Rackham's face was just as sharp and cold as his face was illuminated by the light of the lanterns._

 _..._

Haddock then snapped back to reality. He found Tintin on the floor, grasping the leg of the table. Malina was off to the corner, cradling Snowy in her arms. Haddock gasped; something about Red Rackham had looked somewhat familiar.

"You," he muttered.

"Captain, what is it?" Tintin asked.

"How could I be so blind?" Haddock asked, dropping his sword. "What are you talking about?" Tintin asked. Even Malina wanted to know too. "You mean you know this person?" Malina asked. The two youths then stood up.

Haddock felt a gutting realization hit him. "This isn't just about the scrolls or," he said as he paced the room, "or the treasure that went down with the ship." That was when it all became clear to him. "It's me."

"It's me he's after!"

 _Red Rackham had given Sir Francis the coldest stare that could send chills down one spine. Unbeknownst to him, the fuse was now close to reaching the many barrels of gunpowder from behind him._

 _Then, with a piercing glare, Red Rackham uttered the words that would echo in Sir Francis's memory forever:_

 _"You'll suffer a curse upon you and your name...Haddock."_

"He wants vengeance," Haddock whispered.

 _Giving one last look at Red Rackham, Sir Francis then darted toward the cannons and climbed on top of one to escape through the open windows. Red Rackham then took up his sword, and in a state of rage, he flung his sword to Sir Francis. However, it managed to pierce the walls. "Come back and face me!" Red Rackham shouted._

 _But only Sir Francis could stare back at him as he had said that._

"Hurry guys!" Haddock exclaimed. He then grabbed a hold of both Tintin and Malina's arms as he was making a break for the windows. "What?" Tintin asked, unable to continue his sentence.

"We're out of time," Haddock said as he rushed them towards an open window.

"Captain!" Tintin shouted. "Captain! What are you doing?!" Malina asked, unable to comprehend what was going on.

...

 _After gazing fondly upon the Unicorn for one last time before escaping, Sir Francis then dove toward the ocean. At that moment, the Unicorn had exploded, sending massive pieces of wood and splinters flying everywhere. The mast had come down hard, landing in the ocean with a big splash. Then, it bobbed to the surface as Sir Francis swam towards it. He then looked on tearfully as the Unicorn, his only pride and joy, was engulfed in flames as it sank._

 _"I curse you!"_

 _Sir Francis could hear Red Rackham shouting from inside the ship. Sir Francis could hang his head in disappointment as he began to hear what Red Rackham would eventually tell him:_

 _"I curse your name! And all who come after! We will meet again, Haddock..._

 _"In another time!"_

 _"In another life!"_

 _As Sir Francis then climbed aboard the mast, he began to hear a low rumble. In that instant, the ship exploded once again. Sir Francis then looked up into the night sky as he found small, glimmering objects above him. They were the gold coins that had been kept in the hold! The gold coins began falling toward the ocean, like tiny golden raindrops. Taking off his hat, Sir Francis held it high and caught some of the gold coins that rained down on the ocean. After catching the treasure in his hat, Sir Francis took one last look at the Unicorn's bow, capped with a golden unicorn, as it sank below the depths of the ocean. It was lost forever._

 _..._

By that time, Tintin and Malina found themselves falling out of the open window, and down to a wheelbarrow full of straw hay. Looking up, Tintin gasped. "Malina, look out!" He exclaimed. He then seized Malina's arm, and the two made way for Haddock as he was tumbling out of the building. His face was now wild. "Captain," Malina asked. "I don't understand...What are you trying to tell us?"

"It's not over," Haddock said. "It was never over!"

"I don't understand," Tintin said, brushing a bit of hay off his shirt. "Who's after your blood?" Haddock thought long and hard for a moment. At last, he snapped his fingers. "Sakharine!" He exclaimed.

"Sakharine?" Tintin asked. "Why?" Malina turned to the two men. "Wait Haddock," she asked, "what do you mean by that? Why is Sakharine after your blood?"

That's when it hit Haddock. "He's Red Rackham's descendant!" He exclaimed, snapping his fingers. "He means to finish it!" Suddenly, it was all coming together for Tintin. "That's what he did it," he muttered. "Did what?" Haddock asked. "Sank his own ship," Tintin answered. "Sir Francis sent that treasure to the bottom of the sea. He would be damned before he let Red Rackham have it." "And he was," Haddock said.

"Correct me if I'm wrong," Malina said, "but you're saying that Sakharine made Haddock prisoner...so he could end what their ancestors started years ago?" "That's right," Tintin said. "You're correct. But he couldn't let it lie." "No," Haddock said.

"He left a clue," Tintin said, pacing around. "Three clues wrapped in a riddle, concealing a secret. But only a true Haddock would be able to solve it!" "What secret?" Haddock and Malina both asked. "The location," Tintin had told them. "To one of the greatest sunken treasures in all history!"

"So that's it!" Malina said. "If Haddock knew more about the Unicorn than that Sakharine freak did, then he could unlock the secret to the hidden treasure that was in the Unicorn!" "The wreck of the Unicorn...He means to steal it! The third scroll!" Haddock said gruffly. He suddenly became enraged. "Billions of blue blistering barnacles!" He exclaimed. "I swear, as the last of the Haddocks, I'll find that treasure before him!"

Tintin smiled. "To Bagghar?" he asked, holding out his hand.

Haddock then spit into his hand and gruffly took Tintin's hand. Malina smiled a bit, and she too spit in her hand and took both Tintin and Haddock's hands. It felt gross, but she was glad to help them. "I'm so going to wash my hands after this," she whispered, giggling.

Then she, along with Haddock, shook Tintin's hands, both saying:

"To Bagghar!"


	18. Journey to Bagghar

Ir(The Afghar outpost, at sunset)

* * *

After finally discussing their plan of action to get to the Unicorn ahead of Sakharine and his minions, Tintin finally settled on it. He, along with Malina and Captain Haddock, would reach Bagghar first thing in the morning to find out where exactly the third model of the Unicorn was held. More importantly, they needed another answer as to why Sakharine had it out against Haddock.

But for now, they decided to stay at the desert outpost for the night.

Insider her room, Malina was busy writing down a note on the table beside her bed. It was a letter to her neighbor, Mr. Van de Morisot. She was worried that her home was left unprotected, especially with the door open. After finishing up the note, she went outside and went to the correspondence office outside. Malina then gently knocked on the door, whispering, "Hello?"

"Yes?" A voice asked. "Come in."

Malina slowly walked in. "Ah, Miss!" the man had told her. "What can I assist you with?" Malina then slowly took out the piece of paper tucked into her belt. "D-Do you think there's a way you can send some correspondence here?" "Sure thing, miss," the man said, taking out a notepad. "Who must I contact?" "Can you contact a Mr. Edmund J. Van de Morisot?" "Address?" The man asked, writing down the information. "He lives at 24 Ville d' Aerschot, in Antwerp, Belgium," Malina said. "This is my message to him: If could please go to my house and lock the door? There is a spare key under the mat."

After writing down the information, the man smiled. "Let me deliver this to one of our radio operators. He'll have it delivered right away," He said, heading for the door. "Thank you," Malina said. "Make sure it gets there safe."

After Malina exited the correspondence office, she then spotted Lieutenant Delcourt striding by the stables. "Ah, good evening, Miss," Delcourt said as he greeted Malina. "Evening, Lieutenant," Malina said, smiling. "What are you doing out?" Delcourt asked. "I was just sending a message," Malina said. "To one of my neighbors back in Europe."

Malina then stared out at the horizon, as the sun set along the sandy dunes. "Well, is there anything I can help with?" She asked. Delcourt sighed heavily. "Do you think you can do a few chores around here?" He asked. "I can," Malina said. "Very good. Why don't you start with the laundry?" Delcourt asked. "You can do that, right?" "Yes, sir," Malina answered. "I'll get to starting the water."

Malina then went to fetch a bucket, and she went to pump water. After filling up the bucket, she then went to a nearby stable and got a cutest that held her clothes, along with Tintin's blue pullover and Haddock's jacket. She then began to mix soap powder in the water as she wet a small rag. Grabbing a washboard, Malina began to wash her clothes diligently. She then began to hum a small tune to herself as she rubbed soap all over her gray shirt and began scrubbing it against the washboard. After hanging her wet clothes on the clothesline, she then proceeded to wash Tintin's pullover.

"I wish I could've went with Jenny to London," Malina said. "I always wanted to see how she and Hanna were doing over there. But what did I expect? Jenny wanted me to protect the house." She then stood to hang Tintin's blue sweater on the clothesline next to her clothes. As she began washing Haddock's coat, she mumbled, "I didn't even think that guarding the house would have led me to get kidnapped by a bunch of goons and some idiot with a sugary namesake. But I hope Jenny will at least understand."

After wringing out the clothes and letting them dry for a few hours, Malina then folded the clothes carefully and stacked them into each pile. After delivering her clothes to her room, she then went to take Tintin's sweater over to Tintin. Malina then found that the door to Tintin's room was slightly open. As she slowly pried it open, she then found Tintin stretching his limbs a little as he was buttoning up his trousers. Malina then blushed all red; Tintin was not wearing a shirt!

"Malina!" Tintin exclaimed, hastily covering his bare chest with a towel. "Oh my goodness, I'm sorry!" Malina exclaimed, hastily turning away from Tintin. "No no, it's okay!" Tintin said, stopping Malina before she could go away. "That's all right," Tintin said, reaching for a white tank top and immediately putting it on. "You can some in." As Malina stepped inside, she covered her mouth with one hand, as she held the sweater in another. Tintin chuckled. "You can look now," he said, smiling. "Of course, it was more of me than you'd thought to see in a lifetime."

Malina laughed a little as she bent down to pet Snowy on the head. "Anyway," Tintin said as he went to pour himself a cup of water, "why did you ask the messenger to send a message?" "You heard?" Malina asked as she placed Tintin's sweater on the bed in front of her. "Yes," Tintin said, swallowing his drink. "I sort of overheard you asking to send a message back to Europe."

"Oh, I just needed to ask one of my neighbors in Antwerp to close the door of my home," Malina said. "Because if my aunt found out where I was, she'd kill me." "I didn't know you had an aunt," Tintin said as he bit into a peach. "Do you have any other family?" Malina sighed a little as she sat on the bed. "No other family, just my aunt and my sister," Malina said. "Before that, it was just me and my sister." She then turned to Tintin. "Do you have family?"

Tintin then turned away a bit. "Oh, sorry. I didn't mean for that to offend you," Malina said. "It's okay," Tintin said. "Why don't you start?" "Well," Malina said, "my sister and I lost our parents when we were small. We were sent to an orphanage in Namur, where we grew up. I hated it there." "Hmm?" Tintin asked. "Yep," Malina said. "That orphanage was a nightmare; everyone bullied me and called me names. Even the headmaster was a jerk." "Must be hard," Tintin said.

"And anyways, an army captain then adopted me, he sort of took me in, and I sort of got integrated into the Royal Force," Malina said. "The soldiers there, they were more than just my friends. They're more like family." "And that's how you became a pilot!" Tintin said. "Gosh, I feel like we have a lot in common." "We do?" Malina asked. "Yes. We were both orphans before," Tintin said. "I didn't even know wh my birth parents were when I was small. So, it was just me and Snowy here. I started out as a Boy Scout, and then went to woodcarving, and eventually, to a reporter for the Little Twentieth." Snowy then bounced up and began licking Tintin on the cheek.

"Anyway," Malina said, brushing a strand of hair from her face, "I...I just want to say I'm sorry." "For what?" Tintin asked, petting Snowy. "For calling you an idiot," Malina apologized. "For accusing you of finding me intentionally. For being so mean to you." "That's all right," Tintin said. "I forgive you." "You do?" Malina asked. "You know I do!" Tintin said.

Tintin and Malina then sat in the room for a long time. Tintin then stared out the window. "I think it's getting late now," he said, getting up. "I think we should go to bed." "You're right," Malina said. "Lots to do tomorrow. You know, with getting to the Unicorn before Sakharine does. And finding out its secret." "Yep," Tintin said as he escorted Malina out. "Good night, Miss Ravenwood." "G'night, Tintin," Malina said as she went in to her room.

Malina then closed the door behind her to her room, and let out a deep sigh. "Maybe Tintin isn't such a bad fellow as I first perceived him to be after all." Smiling, she took off her shoes and clambered into bed. Blowing out the candlelight on the nightstand next to the bed, she went to sleep.

* * *

The next morning, Malina then woke up bright and early, ready to start the day. Of course, Malina was eager for today, because she and Tintin would still continue on with the mystery of the Unicorn.

Today was the day! Time to head to Bagghar!

As Malina was making her bed, she heard a knock on the door. "Come in!" Malina said. The door opened, and Malina saw Tintin enter. He had a pile of clothes in his hand. "Good morning, Mr. Tintin," Malina said, greeting Tintin. "Morning, Miss Ravenwood," Tintin said, smiling. "I see you're bright and early today." "Well, today's the day we continue with your Unicorn mystery," Malina said. "Got to get to it before that idiot Sakharine does." "True, true," Tintin said. "I've been doing some early morning stretches to get myself energized." "Good," Malina said.

Malina then eyed the clothes in Tintin's hand. "What do you have there?" She asked. "Oh, right!" Tintin said as he set the clothes on the bed. He smiled. "The lieutenant and his men thought it would be nice if they procured some new garments for you," he said. Then, he held up a beautiful white blouse with slightly poufed, long sleeves. The collar and trim in the sleeves were bright red, and the shirt had pretty Moroccan designs. "They bought you a new outfit!" Tintin said.

Malina eyed the shirt carefully. "Mmm, beautiful," Malina said simply. "But it's a pirate shirt!" "Just try it on!" Tintin said, smiling. He then brought out some dark blue pants, along with a pair of black flats and a red belt. Malina took the clothes and smiled. "Okay, I'll just need a quick wash, then I'll change," Malina said. "So, would you...?" "Of course," Tintin said as he headed for the door. Malina then smiled as she filled a bucket and wash pan with water.

An hour later, Malina then emerged from her room, all decked out in her outfit. She then approached Tintin and Haddock, who was waiting outside the Lieutenant's office. "So," Malina said, "how do I look?" "You look beautiful," Tintin said. "A true beauty," Haddock said. "Come in for breakfast," Tintin said, gesturing Malina inside.

During breakfast, the friends were now discussing their plan to the lieutenant, who had been listening intently to every word. "So, all we need is to head to Bagghar before Sakharine does and find out what exactly the treasure is that he is wanting to obtain," Tintin told Delcourt. "That's why we are heading to Bagghar today." "Interesting," Delcourt said. "We can help you." "Okay," Malina said, "but do you expect us to walk there?" "Aye, there's no way we'll be headin' to Bagghar in a slow walking pace. Otherwise I'd fry my own brain," Haddock said.

"So tell me, Lieutenant," Malina said as she was finishing up her meal, "how do we get to Bagghar?" "I thought you'd might say that," Delcourt said, smiling.

Some few hours later, Tintin, Haddock, and Malina were shown to the gates of the outpost, where two soldiers were holding the reins of three camels. Each of the camels had the friends' sacks with their belongings in their saddles. Tintin smiled. "I don't know how you do it, Lieutenant," Tintin said, adjusting his safari hat as he climbed on board his camel, "but you sure do surprise us!" A soldier helped Malina climb on her mount, while Haddock climbed aboard his camel. Another soldier then lifted Snowy up and gave him to Tintin, who seated Snowy on his lap.

"All right, let's get a move on!" Malina said. "No time to lose!" "Yes, by all means! Let's get going!" Tintin said as he gently roped the reins, motioning for the camel to move forward. As the three were exiting the gates, Tintin turned around to say farewell to the lieutenant. "Goodbye, Lieutenant!" Tintin said, waving. "And many thanks!" "Thank you, Lieutenant!" Malina said.

Lieutenant Delcourt smiled as he waved goodbye back to them. "Farewell, fellow travelers!" he said as the three were riding away. "And good luck!"

...

Tintin, Haddock, and Malina were now riding their camels across the sandy dunes as they made the journey to Bagghar, hoping they would make it before Sakharine and his minions did. As they were riding their camels through the hills, they came across a rocky path that led them above a hill.

As they rode along that hill, they looked down, and found a beautiful, though simple, desert village before them. High above the village was a magnificent palace overlooking the village and the sea. Malina smiled. They had arrived at Bagghar!

Malina then looked over to the sea, and saw a familiar ship at the docks. "Tintin," Malina said, "I think you guys need to see this." Tintin then looked over to where Malina pointed. It was the Karaboudjan! "He's here," Tintin said, pointing to the ship. Luckily, the ship was barely arriving at the port. At about half an hour, the friends then ventured to the village, where they dismounted from their camels at the entrance.

After entering the gates, the friends maneuvered through the bustling city. "Wow, this place is a lot bigger than I had hoped it to be!" Malina said. She kept a close side to Tintin and Haddock as they tried not to bump into any people during their trek through the village. One elderly woman wearing long robes was busy pumping water for a man in desert clothes. As Malina was passing through the village, some villagers tried to sell her jewelry, a snow globe, or new clothes.

"It's no good," Haddock told Tintin. "They could be anywhere." "Trust me, Captain," Tintin said. "We'll find them. And when we do, we'll beat them to the treasure before they do. Am I right, Malina? Malina...?"

Tintin then left Haddock for a small period of time to find Malina. He then found some villagers giving Malina a reddish-pink velvet scarf. "Okay, okay! I'll buy it!" Malina giggled as she handed the vendor the money. Tintin came up to Malina as she approached him. "Don't go wandering off on us, okay?" Tintin told Malina. "But they wanted me to buy a scarf," Malina said apologetically.

As the friends continued through the village, Malina got the strange suspicion that someone was following her. "Tintin," Malina whispered, tapping Tintin's shoulder.

Tintin had also sensed it too. "Captain," he said. "Don't look now, we're being followed." Haddock also began to hear footsteps behind him. "Yes, we are," he whispered. As they tried to pick up their pace, the footsteps also increased with speed. As the friends were entering the gates, they each hid by the ornate pillars. As the cloaked figures entered through the gates, Haddock pinned them to the ground.

"What do you want?" Tintin demanded. "Why are you following us?" By then, Haddock was pulling them up and down, trying to fend them off. "Who are you working for?!" Haddock shouted. That was when Tintin noticed that the figures looked oddly familiar. It was Thompson and Thomson! "Captain, stop! Stop!" Tintin said. He looked at the two figures. "Thompson and Thomson!" "You know these two?" Malina asked. "Yes, they're good friends of mine," Tintin told Malina.

"Shh! Not so loud," Thomson whispered, hushing Tintin. "We're in disguise," Thompson said. Malina could only shrug her shoulders. "Pretty awful disguises, if I say so myself," Malina said. "So I see," Tintin said. "You got the message I sent from the ship?"

"Yes," Thompson said, "well, bit of a long story, that." "The upshot is we caught the thief, retrieved your wallet, and hopped on the next plane to Bagghar," Thomson said as he held up Tintin's wallet. "My wallet!" Tintin said as he gently took it from Thomson. "Yes, that pocket picker has picked his last pocket," Thompson assured. "There, don't worry. He didn't take any money."

"It's not the money I'm worried about," Tintin said as he was searching through his wallet. "What is it, Tintin?" Malina asked. Tintin then pulled out a familiar piece of paper and smiled. The scroll from the model ship of the Unicorn was still in tact! "There it is! That scroll you were talking about!" Malina said. "The odds are even now," Tintin muttered. "Now to find the next two scrolls."

As Tintin turned around, he found two workers standing on ladders in front of the gates of the palace. They were busy unfurling a large poster. However, what caught Tintin's eye was the title of the poster. "The Milanese Nightingale," Tintin whispered. As the two workers unveiled the rest of the poster, it revealed a solidly built woman, with a curled tuft of blonde hair. She wore an extravagant red dress with pearls. The name below read "Bianca Castafiore".

Tintin's eyes widened. "That's his secret weapon?" He whispered. Thompson and Thomson both looked at the poster and their jaws dropped. "My!" Thompson said. "My!" Thomson said in unison. "Who the heck is that?" Malina asked slowly. Captain Haddock could stare at the poster in awe. "What a dish," he muttered.

...

Meanwhile, at the palace, a crowd of reporters, photographers, and noble dignitaries had overtaken the palace, ready to greet the famous opera singer, who happened to be Bianca Castafiore herself. The opera singer was happily posing for photographs, occasionally singing small tunes as she did. She, of course, was used to all this fame. The sounds of cameras flashing had filled most of the palace as servants were preparing for the opera concert that was to be held at the palace pavilion.

"Ah! Enchanted, _signora_! _Benvenuto_!" Omar Ben Salaad said as he, along with another dignitary from another part of Morocco, went to greet the singer. "Welcome! _Marhaba_!" The dignitary greeted. "We are blessed with your presence," Omar Ben Salaad said as he took Castafiore's hand and kissed it. "Yes! Indeed, _signor_ Salad!" She said eagerly. "What charming peasants!" She then turned away for a moment to wave to the crowd before her.

Turning to the two dignitaries, Castafiore then gestured to her right side. "May I introduce my escort," she said. "Monsieur Shuggair Additive." Standing next to her was...Sakharine! "He's been very passionate...in his support of this concert," Castafiore said, gently patting Sakharine's hand as he took her arm. "It's my first visit to the Third World."

Sakharine nodded his head, smiling a little. "Please forgive me," he told the dignitaries. "I must escort the madame to her dressing room." He then guided Castafiore to the stairs. "Excuse us," he said. "After you."

With Castafiore happily singing to herself as she was escorted upstairs, Sakharine looked over his shoulder. He then saw the other model of the Unicorn, resting peacefully inside a bulletproof glass case. He was more than determined to get the other scroll that was concealed within its ornate masts.


	19. The Concert

(At the palace)

* * *

"Hello! How are you?"

"Why hello, darling! How are you?"

Later that afternoon, there were numerous cars lining up at the palace gates, all of them anxious to get to the palace in time. Many people had come to Bagghar from halfway across the globe, all dressed in their best and formal attire. Evidently, they were all arriving at the palace for a reason. They had traveled all the way to Bagghar to see Bianca Castafiore performing a concert at the palace of Omar Ben Salaad.

As a young couple, both formally dressed, were entering the palace gates, Tintin took one look at the palace entrance. He had decided to go simple and roll down the sleeves of his white button-up shirt. As he took out his wallet from his pocket, he took out the scroll. He gazed upon it until he heard a voice calling to him.

"Tintin?"

"Yes?" Tintin asked.

"I'm not so sure about this..."

"Don't worry, you look fine," Tintin said. "Just come on."

"Fine."

Tintin then turned around, he almost felt his breath get caught in his throat. Malina slowly walked up to him, twisting a strand of her hair. She was wearing a beautiful white dress, with thin, teal trims on the sleeves and the neckline. The dress also had thin, white velvet tresses around the waistline. To complete the outfit, Malina wore beautiful white lace up ballerina flats, and she wore her hair down, with two strands wrapped in the back.

"Malina," Tintin said, his voice almost cracking. "You...you look...you look beautiful." "But Tintin, this is a little too much," Malina said, almost smiling. "Normally, I'm not into these kinds of dresses. I'm a pilot! I'm, you know, tough!" "Yes, true," Tintin said, admiring the skirt of the dress. "But you should be grateful that the lieutenant and his men procured this for you. It is rather fetching." "Thank you," Malina said.

"My, Malina!" Haddock said as he approached the two youths. "You look like a dream!" "Thank you, Captain," Malina said. Tintin then approached Haddock, the scroll in his hand. "Here," Tintin said, handing the scroll to the Captain. "I want you to look after this."

Haddock then suddenly began to drop to his knees while grasping the scroll. "What are you doing?" Tintin asked, his face turning mildly pale with embarrassment. "I feel like they're looking at us," Malina whispered. "Me?" Haddock asked. "Yes," Tintin said. "Are you sure?" Haddock asked. "If I'm caught, I don't want them to find this on me," Tintin assured. "Look, just keep it hidden."

Haddock then took the scroll from Tintin, kneeling dramatically. "I will guard this with my life!" He said majestically. "Get up! Get up!" Tintin hissed, his face blushing red. "They're starting to stare," Malina said, laughing a little. "Now if you two lovebirds are done here, let's go inside right now. We should be finding our seats."

"Okay Malina," Tintin said. "Let's go, Captain." As the Captain got up, Tintin turned to Malina.

"Have you ever been to an opera before?" Tintin asked. "Not once," Malina said. "I just cannot stand opera music. Those high-pitched arias...I wouldn't even leave my house for a week!" "Well, you should keep your temper," Tintin said, smiling. "Be on our best behavior."

Soon, the three friends then entered through the palace gates, and walked toward the palace. The path to the Unicorn was beckoning to them.

...

Inside the palace, Omar Ben Salaad's guests were busy finding their seats as they entered the palace foyer. It was a beautiful facade, with an ornate fountain at the corner of the doorways leading to the palace gardens. The foyer was decorated with crystal glass chandeliers hanging from the ceiling, marble staircases, and a beautiful fountain adorned with a large, golden crab as the centerpiece. Elegant chairs had already been placed at the stairs for the opera concert going on this afternoon.

Tintin, Haddock, and Malina all decided to sit in the third row in the middle of the stairs. "Have a seat, Miss Ravenwood," Tintin said as he pulled up a chair for Malina. "Thank you, Mr. Tintin," Malina said as she sat down on his right side. A waiter passed by them, giving them each a set of opera glasses to get a good view. The other guests were now sitting down, sipping champagne and happily chatting amongst each other. An orchestra was playing a quaint and small symphony in the background. Omar Ben Salaad then sat himself at the front, on his throne as he eagerly waited for the star's arrival.

As if on cue, Bianca Castafiore had arrived, descending from the staircase slowly. She was outfitted in a ruffled magenta ball gown, complete with pearl earrings and necklace, as well as long white gloves adorned with pearl bracelets and jewels. The sultan then stood, smiling as he gestured for the guests to applaud.

"It's her!" Haddock whispered, still staring at the diva. His expression was frozen on his face.

As Castafiore made her way to the podium, she gestured her arms gracefully as she awaited her adoring crowd, smiling.

Clapping his hands along with the crowd, Tintin's eye caught the bulletproof case that housed the other Unicorn model inside. Holding the opera glasses to his eyes, he noticed a small mark on the bottom right of the case. "Bulletproof", it read. "Malina," Tintin whispered. "Read what it says on the bottom of that case."

Malina held her opera glasses to her face, and gasped. "That glass case is enough to repel gun bullets," Malina told Tintin, confused. "How on earth with that lady even break this case?"

"We might just find out," Tintin whispered. "Now hush." The guests then began to sit down as the applause began to die down slowly. Soon, the entire palace foyer fell silent. Sitting quietly back down on his throne, the sultan then gestured his hand toward the orchestra. The orchestra then began to play, introducing the symphony grandiosely.

Soon, Bianca opened her mouth, and began to sing. Her voice echoed throughout the entire palace. She began to sing a beautiful melody of the song "Je Veux Vivre". The audience watched with such intent as the diva was singing. They all smiled in wonder. They adored her performance.

All of them, except for Haddock.

"Blistering barnacles!" Haddock whispered. "What's that noise?" He began to panic silently as he put two fingers to his ears. Even though he tried to block out the sound, the sound of the diva's singing was still ringing in his ears. It was clear that Haddock was not one for opera concerts. "M-My ears," Haddock whispered. "They're bleeding!" "No they're not," Tintin whispered, getting slightly annoyed.

The sultan, however, wasn't bothered by the singing. In fact, he leaned forward intently as he heard the diva singing so beautifully. Even the guests were enjoying this performance.

As Bianca continued to sing, Haddock was now growing tired of hearing the high singing. His head beginning to ache, Haddock tried to ignore the singing. Haddock then began to bang his head on the rim of the chair in front of him. He hoped it would at least drown out the singing. But now, the guests around the trio were beginning to stare at them. Tintin noticed that people were giving them dirty looks.

"Captain!" Tintin hissed, grabbing Haddock by the shoulder. "Captain, they're staring at us!" Malina whispered. "Could you be any more embarrassing?!" By then, Haddock had calmed down instantly. But he was still not used to the opera singing.

Even little Snowy was not growing so fond of the concert as well. Snowy began to wince at every high note that Bianca sang. Whining silently, Snowy began to roll around on the floor, trying to drown out the high singing that filled the palace. Tintin looked down and gave Snowy a scolding glare. "Shut up, Snowy!" Tintin whispered. Malina bent over a little and tried to comfort Snowy. "It's okay, Snowy," Malina whispered. "I hate this too."

As Bianca continued to sing, each note growing higher than the last, Haddock could not stand it anymore. At that point, Haddock finally threw his hands up in the air. He decided very well that this opera concert was certainly not for him. "Oh Columbus!" Haddock exclaimed, his voice so low that everyone almost heard him. "It's every man for himself!"

As Malina and Tintin watched in embarrassed humiliation, Haddock then rose from his seat and tried to make a break for the exit. He just wanted to get out of the palace and away from the diva's high arias. "Make way, make way!" Haddock whispered to the guests as he maneuvered through the rows. "Medical emergency." Haddock kept walking, until he reached a table full of champagne glasses and a champagne bottle.

At that moment, Haddock immediately seized the tablecloth and pulled it from the table. Surprisingly enough, the bottle and champagne glasses stayed on the table. Haddock then grabbed the tablecloth and draped it over him. With the tablecloth on his head, Haddock then made a break for the courtyard.

...

Haddock, with the tablecloth still draped over his head, hurriedly walked out of the palace and into the palace courtyard. There were tables set up, lined with ornate plates, bowls, and fine glasses. Haddock was glad to have escaped, with his ears still in tact.

"Oof! That was close," Haddock said, feeling relieved. As he removed the tablecloth from his head, the scrolls that Tintin had given him before immediately flew out of his pocket. "Ooh!" Haddock exclaimed as he tried to reach for the scrolls. At last, he caught the scrolls. As he did, his hand rested on a small bottle of whiskey.

Now Haddock was torn. He now wanted a drink to calm his nerves. But at the same time, he had promised Tintin he would protect the scrolls at whatever cost. Looking at the whiskey bottle and then at the scrolls, Haddock decided in favor of the scrolls. Haddock then diligently put the bottle back on the table.

"Hello Captain."

Haddock turned, and soon found himself facing Allan. "You!" Haddock said. Now he was ready to take on Allan for ganging up against him. Unbeknownst to him, Tom slowly approached Haddock behind him, slowly grabbing the bottle he had put down.

Raising it high above Haddock, Tom then smashed the bottle onto the back of Haddock's head. Now stiff with pain, Haddock then fell to the floor, completely blacked out from that vicious blow.

...

Meanwhile, back at the concert, the diva kept singing. As the audience listened with such wondrous intent. As they were both listening to the concert, Malina looked up. She then nudged Tintin on the shoulder. "Tintin," Malina whispered. "Yes?" Tintin asked, turning around. "Look," Malina whispered, pointing up.

Tintin looked up toward the balcony. He then found Sakharine, conveniently dressed in an evening suit for the occasion, standing by the balcony. He was watching Bianca carefully, but his focus was clearly on the glass case containing the Unicorn.

Staring inquisitively, Tintin slowly reached for his opera glasses. Bringing them up his eyes, Tintin then noticed something. He found Sakharine's pet falcon slowly glide toward Sakharine, landing on a perch next to him. By then, Bianca's singing only seemed to grow higher with each note."Tintin?" Malina whispered. "Do you think this concert has something to do with Sakharine using some kind of secret weapon?"

Tintin felt something hit the pit of his stomach. "Oh no," Tintin whispered. He immediately shifted his opera glasses toward the glass case. He noticed the glass on the case slowly vibrating in sync with the diva's singing. He finally realized what Sakharine's secret weapon was. "Sakharine!" Tintin whispered in a forced, hushed tone.

By then, Bianca began to sing the next to last arias, which were now growing extremely high. She then began to sing her aria in an extremely high note.

As a woman in the crowd was sipping her champagne, she jumped suddenly as her champagne glass shattered. A man admiring the concert with his opera glasses startled himself after noticing the glass on his opera glasses break into tiny pieces. However, Bianca did not notice the chaos going on. She kept on singing.

Even the sultan felt the glass in his spectacles break as the diva sang her high note. As the aria kept increasing the pitch, the glass chandeliers hanging above the crowd suddenly began to shatter and fall to the floor. "Oh man, I hate this!" Malina hissed as she threw her hands to her ears. "This is killing my ears!" As Bianca reached the very last pitch of her aria, the glass around the case shattered into billions of pieces.

The Unicorn was out of the glass case!


	20. The Chase, and Raging Flames Ignite

(At the palace)

After Castafiore had sung her final high note, the glass case had shattered into thousands of tiny pieces. At that precise moment, Sakharine then sent his falcon flying toward the Unicorn model. Bianca cried out in fear as she crouched down to avoid the falcon hitting her. The falcon then glided straight for the Unicorn.

By that moment, the concert was now in an uproar as the guests were fleeing the palace.

"What do we do now, Mr. Tintin?" Malina asked. Tintin noticed the falcon flying toward the Unicorn. "The falcon!" Tintin exclaimed, pointing at it. "Snowy, after it!" "Tintin! Tintin!" Haddock was crying out. He had quickly recovered from that nasty blow, and was now panicking.

At that moment, Sakharine took notice of the three friends. "Those three! There!" He exclaimed, pointing to Tintin and Malina. "They're here to steal your ship!" At that moment, the sultan ordered several palace guards to capture the friends. "No no no no no! No, we're not!" Tintin cried out, waving his hands up in defense. "I would never steal something from here!" Malina said.

"Arrest him!" Sakharine demanded. "The ugly one!" "No, wait!" Tintin exclaimed. "Who, me?!" Haddock asked, repulsed that he had been called ugly. "Yes!" Sakharine ordered. "Thief! Arrest him!" At that moment, two palace guards grabbed Haddock and took him away. "CAPTAIN!" Tintin and Malina both shouted as they tried to reach Haddock, but were pushed back by two guards.

Meanwhile, Snowy began to pursue the falcon. The falcon then hovered over the Unicorn, and snatched it up with its claws. Then, it dropped the Unicorn to the floor. As intended, the Unicorn smashed to the ground, its middle mast snapping in half. The falcon then landed on top of the model ship and tore through the mast to find the last scroll. As it flew back to Sakharine, Snowy began following it.

Later, at the palace exit, Tintin was now silently fuming. "Sakharine's got the scroll!" He told Haddock, who was limply following him. "Well, do you have a plan or something?" Malina asked. "I don't know yet," Tintin said. "All I know is that we lost the third scroll now!"

"Oh, it's worse than that," Haddock whimpered. ""What do you mean?" Tintin asked. "What are you talking about, Captain?" Malina asked. "They took your scroll, Tintin," Haddock said. "It's gone." Tintin was now enraged. "How?" He demanded. "What happened?!" "How could you lose the scrolls you promised to guard?" Malina asked.

"I-It was Allan," Haddock whimpered. "He knobbled me in the garden, and then there was a bottle of alcohol, and..."

"There always is," Tintin said, fuming as he was trying to leave. "No, no! No, not like that!" Tintin stared angrily at Haddock long enough. "I can smell it on you," he whispered. Then, he took off running. Haddock looked on dejectedly. "Come on, Captain," Malina said, quickly tying the skirt of her dress to the length of her knees. "We gotta go now. Just come on."

(Outside the palace)

Exiting the palace, Sakharine rushed toward a red jeep that was being driven by Tom and Allan. After getting in, the jeep drove away from the palace. Sakharine finally had his prize. Now he just needed the last two scrolls. "Hurry!" Sakharine ordered. "Back to the boat!"

Meanwhile, at the palace, Tintin had just knocked out a guard. As the guests were now exiting the palace in a panicked flee, they went back to their vehicles and drove away. By then, Malina, Haddock, and Snowy had caught up to Tintin.

"Tintin! Where are you going?" Haddock questioned. "I'm going after Sakharine," Tintin said. But Haddock saw that he was already going it alone. "By yourself?" Haddock asked. "Yes!" Tintin answered. "Come on Snowy!" Snowy gave a bark and scurried toward Tintin. "Are you sure you can ride this out yourself, Mr. Tintin?" Malina asked. She was clearly concerned for him. "I'm positive," Tintin said. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go now."

Haddock, however, was more than determined to help Tintin out. Noticing a bazooka on the floor, he grabbed it and swung it over his shoulder, unwittingly hitting a guard and knocking him out. "Are you sure you know how to use a gadget like that?" Malina asked. "Don't you worry now, lassie," Haddock assured. "This is just a precaution." "That can work," Malina said as she ran after Tintin.

By then, Tintin found a motorcycle waiting for him. As he got on, he turned on the engine. Malina then got on behind him. "You better hold on tight," Tintin assured Malina. "Will do!" Malina said as she wrapped her arms around Tintin. Haddock and Snowy then joined the two, hopping into the sidecar beside them.

Suddenly, Omar Ben Salaad found the friends outside the palace. "Catch them!" he ordered. "Catch them!"

Tintin then began to ride the motorcycle down th eroad and through the path where Sakharine was. By then, the jeep Sakharine and his goons were riding on was making a break toward the exit, near the dam.

As the three rode in the jeep, Tom took notice of his sideview mirror...and noticed Tintin and the others right on his tail! Sakharine looked behind him and growled. "Lose them! Get them off our tail!"

Allan heard this and grabbed a shot gun. Aiming it at the friends, he tried shooting to throw them off their trail. The bullets hit the sidecar, startling Snowy. Yapping frightened, Snowy backed away and landed himself on Haddock's lap. "Okay Captain. You could use that machine gun right about now!" Malina exclaimed.

Haddock then lifted the bazooka to his eye level and tried to aim for the jeep. As he fired, the bullet inadvertently fired from behind...and hit a beam that secured the dam. Suddenly, it broke, opening the dam!

"Did you hit anything?" Tintin asked.

Haddock looked behind him, and noticed the dam bursting open, releasing the water that had been contained inside. Malina glared at Haddock silently.

"Oh dear," Haddock whimpered, throwing the bazooka away.

By then, large waves of water began pouring through the barren river that led to the village. By then, the villagers had ran toward the village, scrambling to fill their empty jugs with water.

"Faster, you idiot!" Sakharine ordered. "Faster!" Tom obeyed and stomped on the pedal.

Haddock was now screaming for his life as the motorcycle kept pursuing their enemies. By then, the water had flooded into the village. As the friends caught up to the jeep, Allan pulled his gun once more and began to fire at them. Snowy then leaped from the motorcyle, and in a ferocious white blur, he lunged for Allan.

"Not again!" Tom cried.

Snowy ran in between him and Sakharine. That was enough to keep them distracted, giving Tintin a chance to steal back the scrolls. "I'll have those, thank you," Tintin shouted as Malina snatched the scrolls from the goons. "Come on, Snowy!" Haddock exclaimed. Snowy then leapt back toward the motorcycle, Haddock catching him. "Here you go, Tintin," Malina said, handing Tintin the scrolls.

"No!" Sakharine cried out.

"Ha! Nailed ya, sucker!" Malina cried out.

Suddenly, Haddock looked up. The falcon was now hovering above them as it flew toward the motorcycle! "Incoming falcon at four o'clock!" Haddock yelled, pointing up. Tintin ducked his head as the falcon swooped down to attack him. Luckily, he avoided the attack just in time.

"Take these, Malina," Tintin said, handing Malina the scrolls. "Don't let them out of your sight!" "Thanks!" Malina said, holding on to the scrolls. "I think?"

Tintin then drove through the city as townspeople scurried out of the way. "Watch out!" Malina exclaimed. After running through a jump, the motorcycle halted to a stop. Tintin looked; there was an army tank plowing straight through the village, masquerading as a hotel building. Suddenly, it began firing at them! "Tintin! Faster!" Haddock exclaimed. "Hurry! It's following us!" Malina told Tintin.

The tank them began following them. Suddenly, its gun turret snagged Haddock by the coat, lifting him off of the sidecar! As Tintin rode his motorcycle through the town, he suddenly hit a bump in the road. At that moment, Malina accidentally let go of the scrolls! "No no no! Come back!" Malina hissed silently.

Haddock was quick to jump in. "I got one," Haddock called as he grabbed the scrolls, "two..." "Three!" Tintin shouted. Haddock managed to snag the scrolls in his hand.

Suddenly, there was an explosion. The motorcycle and sidecar suddenly broke apart, leaving Snowy inside the sidecar, all alone. "Snowy!" Tintin cried out. "Hang in there, little buddy!" Malina called out as Snowy was barking. The tank began slowing to a halt, leaving Haddock dangling from the turret. By then, Thompson and Thomson had appeared on the balcony, with the frightened hotel owner. Haddock was screaming as he slipped out of his jacket and fell over. Luckily, he was caught by a pink dress on a clothesline, which he slipped into, breaking his fall...and losing the scrolls in the process.

Haddock, still wearing the pink dress like a fool, then ran for the scrolls. By then, the falcon appeared again, squawking at Haddock as it tried to take the scrolls from him. "Oh no! Not again!" Haddock exclaimed as he tried to grab the scrolls. The falcon then flew over the river channels, as more and more people began scrambling to fill up their jugs with the precious water.

"Come here, my beauty!" Haddock cried out as he tried to reach for the scrolls. Unfortunately, they floated away from him. Then, the falcon had grabbed the scrolls with his claws. "Then thousand thundering typhoons!" Haddock said. "Come here, you pilfering parakeet!" He then picked up the skirt of the dress, running and looking like a fool as he chased the falcon into the village.

By then, Snowy was floating through the river channel inside the sidecar as Tintin and Malina sped through the streets. "Captain! The bird!" Tintin cried out. By then, his motorcycle had managed to pick Haddock up and seat him on the front. By then, Snowy managed to grab the other end of the scrolls with his mouth. Tintin smiled. "Nice work, Snowy!" Tintin exclaimed. "Don't let him go!" "Good job, little buddy!" Malina said.

By then, the jeep was now edging closer. "You blue blistering barnacles!" Haddock yelled out. "Hang on, Snowy! Snowy, I'm coming!" By then, Snowy was holding on to the scrolls as the falcon tried to tug the scrolls away from him. "There he is! Stop!" Sakharine ordered. The falcon then pulled the scrolls away from Snowy and tried to fly to Sakharine. "That's right," Sakharine said, smiling, "that's right, come to daddy. Come to daddy."

"Gotcha!" Tintin exclaimed as he tried to snag the scrolls from the falcon. But the falcon was quicker than him. "No!" Tintin exclaimed. "What now?!" Malina asked. By then, Haddock had a plan up his sleeve. "Geronimo!" he cried out as he leapt from the motorcycle to attack the goons. "You double-dealing, pilfering parasites!"

Tintin and Malina sped up a building as they tried to pursue the falcon. By then, they had accidentally driven inside a building, disturbing two villagers. "Excuse me!" Tintin said after bumping into a wall. "Pardon me! Sorry!" "Um, Tintin!" Malina said as she saw the walls of the building beginning to crumble. As the building had collapsed, Tintin and Malina sped through the balconies of the buildings, pursuing the falcon. "Tintin, look out!" Malina exclaimed. Suddenly, the motorcycle hit the railing, destroying the motorbike.

Grabbing onto the railing, Tintin and Malina were now sliding across a railing high above the city as they chased the falcon. Malina felt the skirt of her dress rip as the motorcycle grabbed her skirt. Soon, they leapt and grabbed hold of a decoration on the wire as they slid toward the falcon. "Almost there!" Malina exclaimed. As they leapt toward a balcony, they ran through a building. Tintin then leapt from the window and caught the falcon!

"Gotcha!" Tintin exclaimed as he grabbed the falcon by the claws, and he and Malina landed on a pier. As the sun was high, the light shone through the scrolls. Tintin suddenly noticed something. He began to see strange symbols through the three scrolls!

"The scrolls are lining up," Tintin mumbled. "These are hidden numbers. What do they say?" "I-I don't know," Malina said.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you!"

Tintin craned his neck...and found that Tom and Allan had Haddock in shackles, and they were dangling him toward the edge of the ocean! "Captain!" Malina exclaimed. "I'm fine, lassie!" Haddock exclaimed. "Just a wee bit tied up!" Sakharine's attention was on Tintin. "Let the bird go!" he ordered. "What do you value more, the scrolls? Or Haddock's life?"

"Don't listen to him!" Haddock cried out. "You'll never get away with this, you sour-faced sassonack!" "I'll kill him," Sakharine said.

"Don't worry about me, Tintin," Haddock assured. "I'm fine!" tom and Allan edged Haddock closer to the ocean. "Let the bird go now, or this man dies!" Sakharine ordered.

"No! Wait!" Tintin exclaimed. "Tintin, you need to save Haddock!" Malina said. "You two-timing troglodyte!" Haddock shouted at Sakharine. "You simpering son of a po-faced pirateer!"

Sakharine noticed them. He sneered. "Perhaps we should put that to the test," he sneered. "There's mud in your eye."

"FATHEAD!" Haddock exclaimed as Tom and Allan let go of him, letting him plunge int the ocean to drown. "Captain!" Tintin exclaimed as he dove in to save Haddock. Snowy began barking for Tintin. "No!" Malina exclaimed as she tried to reach for the falcon. But it flew away, with the scrolls in hand.

Malina cradled Snowy in her arms as she waited for the two to come back. She then saw Tintin pop up from the water and let Haddock climb toward the pier. He then swam toward the pier where Malina was and climbed back up. It was clear that he was now angry.

"Well, do you have a plan, Tintin?" Malina asked. "There is no plan," Tintin grumbled. "Sakharine's got the scrolls now, and he's going to win." "But Tintin, wait," Malina said. "What?" Tintin asked. "You can't just give up on those scrolls," Malina said. "It's not your fault you lost them. And it certainly wasn't Haddock's fault either. We need a plan to get them back before Sakharine does."

Tintin paused and stared at Malina. "You know what?" He asked, his back still turned to Malina. "It's not my fault I lost the scrolls. And it wasn't Haddock's fault either." Malina was unsure of what was going on.

Suddenly, Tintin became very angry.

"This is all your fault!" Tintin exploded, jabbing a finger at Malina's chest. Malina was shocked; Tintin would never say something like that to her. "What?!" Malina asked. "How is this my fault? You know I would never lose those scrolls!" "Really? Then why didn't you chase down that falcon?" Tintin asked. "I told you to hold on to those scrolls, and you let Sakharine get them! You're useless!"

Malina felt her heart sink. In all her life, she had never been called useless by her friends. And now, hearing that for the first time, this felt like a sting to her face.

Now Malina was enraged. "How dare you call me useless, you idiot!" Malina exclaimed. "So now you call me idiot, huh?!" Tintin yelled. "That's right!" Malina said. "Now you're the idiot! I was only trying to help you get those scrolls back, and this whole time, I thought you'd be smart enough to actually get them before Sakharine!"

"Yes, I know that!" Tintin exclaimed. "But, as it turns out, it was a mistake to let you come along on this journey!" "You didn't let me come along on this venture; I only accompanied you two because you saved Haddock and me! And I repaid that debt by following you guys!" "No! My biggest mistake ever was meeting you!" Tintin exploded. " Looking back now, I wish I'd never saved from those goons!" "And I wished I'd never counted on you to defend me from those ruffians! You should have let me handle it myself!" Malina told Tintin.

"I thought you'd actually be able to help me and the Captain get those scrolls!" Tintin said angrily. "If you were actually smart enough to help me, you'd understand! But you're not! You're just a pathetic, useless, sorry excuse for a friend, dumb witch!"

Malina's eyes began to fill with tears. She never expected Tintin to say such a thing like that.

Now Malina was very angry. "Why, you ungrateful, foul-mouthed little cockroach!" Malina exploded. "I would never say such a thing like that to you because it's blasphemous to people like us. But you left me no other choice!" "I don't want to hear another word out of you, Miss Ravenwood!" Tintin said, pushing Malina's fist away from him.

"Fine!" Malina said, angrily fighting back tears. "How about three?"

Malina felt her blood boiling inside of her; she didn't want to have to say it to Tintin, but she wanted to.

She clenched her teeth and let it out

"I HATE YOU!"

Malina then stormed away from Tintin, now sobbing. Tintin tried to stop her. "Malina!" he cried out. "Malina, don't you even—!"

"Get away from me, idiot!"

Suddenly, as Tintin tried to grab her shoulder to stop her from leaving, Malina turned around and slapped Tintin in the face, hard. Tintin felt it sting his face. With his hand to his cheek as he knelt to the ground, Tintin watched as Malina ran away from him.

Malina was now sobbing harder then ever as she ran away from Tintin. She regretted slapping him in the face, but at the same time, she wanted to get back at him for calling her a witch. Wiping away a tear, Malina finally decided that if she was no help to Tintin, she was no help at all.

She decided to run away.


	21. An Inspirational Speech, and Forgiveness

(At the piers of Bagharr)

* * *

After the battle in the village, everything stood silent for a moment. After the water that had been held up in the dam had ceased to a halt, everyone had finished filling their jars with water and went back to their normal lives, as if nothing had happened. Now it was back to an ordinary day for them.

Suddenly, at that moment, the tank that had been plowing through Bagharr had reached the docks at the pier. As it was now slowing to a halt, it bumped into the curb of the street. The bump had sent the driver screaming as he careened off of the tank, and falling into the ocean. He had landed in the water with a splash.

Thompson and Thomson then popped up from the balcony of the hotel building they had been hiding in. "Aha! We're saved!" Thompson said to himself, breathing a sigh of relief after all the chaos that had went down earlier. "Oh, I love the beach," Thomson said as he took one look at the sea's horizon before him. Thompson stared at Thompson when he had said that. "You said you wanted a holiday," he said. Obviously, they thought they had been wanting to get away from the town once in a while. "Quite," Thomson said. "Very good."

As they left, a local had come out of the hotel building, as if he had not experienced the sudden chaos that had happened in the village earlier. Looking that the placard, conveniently with two stars outside, he smiled. He then placed a starfish next to the stars, feeling satisfied for himself.

...

"Nobody takes my ship!" Haddock growled. He was furious now; he had been robbed of his ship the second time.

"They've already taken it," Tintin grumbled. He had seated himself on a deck chair in the pair. By then, he was angrily fighting back tears. He had never meant to explode like that in front of Malina. Now he felt that it was his fault for making her run away. Touching his cheek with his hand, he winced a bit. His cheek was still red and swollen from when Malina had slapped him earlier.

"Nobody takes my ship twice!" Haddock demanded. "We'll show 'em, won't we Tintin?" Now he was more than willing to get his ship back. He then turned to Tintin. "All right," Haddock asked, "what's the plan?"

"There is no plan," Tintin mumbled. Haddock shook his head in disbelief. "Of course there's a plan," he said. "You've always's got a plan."

"Not this time," Tintin said. "Sakharine has the scrolls. They'll lead him to the treasure. It could be anywhere in the world. We'll never see him again. It's over." Snowy, who was drenched from the water, then shook himself dry. Tintin winced a little, as the drops of water hit his face, which landed on his cheek and stung him.

Haddock turned to Tintin. "I thought you were an optimist," he said. Wiping his faced with his hand, Tintin shrugged. "Well you were wrong, weren't you?" Tintin told him. "I'm a realist." Haddock gave a gruff sigh. "That's just another name for a quitter," he said.

"You can call me what you like," Tintin muttered. "Don't you get it? We failed."

Haddock was shocked. Tintin would never say anything like this. Now he did.

"'Failed,'" Haddock scolded. "There are plenty of others willing to call you a failure. A fool. A loser. A hopeless souse!" He jabbed a finger at Tintin's chest. "Don't you ever say it of yourself. You sent out the wrong signal," Haddock said, sending Tintin back to his chair.

"That is what people pick up," Haddock asked. "Do you understand? You care about something, you fight for it. You hit a wall, you push through it." Tintin nodded silently, understanding Haddock's words.

Haddock then turned around and looked out beyond the horizon. "There's something you need to know about failure, Tintin," Haddock said solemnly.

"You can't let it defeat you."

Tintin suddenly had a realization.

Something about those words sounded...familiar. "What did you just say?" Tintin asked. "You hit a wall, you push through it," Haddock repeated. "No, no, no," Tintin said. "You said something about sending out a signal." Haddock was unsure of what Tintin was trying to get through to him.

That's when it hit Tintin. "Of course!" he exclaimed, snapping his fingers. "Captain! I sent a radio message from the Karaboudjan. I know what radio frequency they're transmitting on!" Haddock was dumbfounded. "Well, how does that help us?" he asked. "Well, all we have to do is send that information to Interpol and they can track the signals to figure out which way they're headed. Haddock then noticed two figures approaching them.

"Here comes Interpol now," Haddock said, pointing. "Tintin!" Thompson and Thomson both said, greeting the friends. Tintin felt confident now. "Any port they enter, we'll know at once," he said. "And we can get there first," Haddock said.

Tintin then remembered something. "Malina!" Tintin said. "That's it! I have to tell her about this! This is a big break in our search! I need to go right now and find..." Tintin felt his heart sink to his stomach. "Oh no," he mumbled. "She's never coming back now."

"Tintin?" Thompson asked. "We were just going to ask where that delightful lady friend of yours is at?" "This is my fault now," Tintin whispered silently. "So?" Haddock asked. "Where is that Ravenwood lass?" Tintin felt a lump in his throat; he swallowed hard. "Oy Tintin, what happened to your face?" Thomson asked, eyeing the red blemish on Tintin's face.

"I..." Tintin started to say, but his breath got caught in this throat. "I said some things to Malina that I knew I shouldn't have. And now...now she's not coming back." Haddock shook his head in contempt. "Now what did you ever say to her that made her run away and cry?" he scolded. "I called her a stupid witch," Tintin said. "I never should have said that to her, but I was just too angry about the scrolls going missing. And...And then she said she hated me."

"No," Haddock said. "And when I tried to stop her, she slapped me in the face," Tintin said guiltily. "We have to find her. And fast. Who knows where she could have gone by now?"

"Aye, we're on it!" Thompson said. "Not to worry!" "We are on the case!" Thomson said. As they left, Haddock turned to Tintin. "Let's go find her," he said.

...

"MALINA!"

"Malina! Where are you?"

"Come on out, Miss Ravenwood!"

By then, Tintin, Haddock, Snowy, and the Thompsons had scoured through the city to try and find Malina. They searched everywhere. But they couldn't seem to find her.

"It's a big city!" Haddock said. "How could that lass easily get lost?" "I don't know," Tintin said. "But we need to find her so we can get back to finding those scrolls. We have no time to lose."

As Snowy was sniffing around the ground, she suddenly stopped. "Did you find anything, Snowy?" Tintin asked. "Come on, Snowy. Tell me. What have you picked up?" Sniffing more at the ground, Snowy panted excitedly. Suddenly, he began barking furiously as he took off in a blur.

"Snowy!" Tintin said as he took off after Snowy. "Snowy! Come back!" Haddock smiled. "Go get 'er, you landlubber," he said silently.

* * *

(at the far docks of Bagghar)

Malina, with a bottle of soda in one hand, paused and stood in front of a porting station at the docks on the other side of the village. There were boats and ships lined up at the harbors to transport passengers or goods to other parts of the world.

Malina had dressed differently; she now wore a grayish blue tunic and a dark brown skirt, along with a gray sash and dark green head covering. She slowly reached into her satchel and pulled out the tattered remains of her white concert dress, along with the red scarf she had bought earlier when she came to Bagghar. Now, they were just cruel reminders of her quarrel earlier with...

Tintin.

Holding in her tears, Malina frowned angrily and crumpled the items up into a ball. Then, she walked over to a nearby stand and dumped them into a garbage can, trying to forget those horrid memories. With that, she then slowly approached the ticket booth.

"How can I help you, madame?" the ticketmaster asked her. "I'd like a passage on the next freighter back to Europe," Malina said. "Now, will that be a one way trip for you?" the ticketmaster asked. "One way," Malina said. The ticketmaster then checked the schedule for the day. "Hmmm," he muttered. "There's a 20 minute wait for a steam freighter that'll be due for today. If you'd like to wait, you're more than welcome to." "That'll be fine," Malina said. "As long as it gets me out of this place."

Soon after, she went to a port side cafe and sat down to sulk.

"Anything I can get you, dear?" a waiter asked as he was busily cleaning tables. "No, no. I'm fine," Malina said calmly. "I just need to be alone for a while." The waiter then sensed a feeling of doubt. He then stopped wiping down the last table and sat down to join Malina. "Come now," he told her. "You are feeling so down. So low. You can tell me what is bothering you. Just tell me."

Malina stared at the bottle profusely for a long time. Then, she started to grasp the bottle angrily. "I hate him. I just hate him," she said through her clenched teeth. "I hope the next time he eats, he chokes on bread and dies." "Who, may I ask?" the waiter asked. "I...I met this guy in Europe," Malina said, "a long ways from here. He seemed so nice and so...daring." "But why do you hate him?" the waiter asked, refilling Malina's drink.

"Why?" Malina asked. "H-He was mad at me. He cracked down on me, and he started shouting blasphemous things at me." Malina wiped her eye for a moment. "And he called me a stupid witch." "No," the waiter said, shaking his head. "And after he said that, I yelled at him to go away. And that I hated him." Malina stared out at the ocean's horizon. "Maybe he's right," she whispered. "Maybe I am a stupid witch."

The waiter shook his head. "Oh no, no, no, no," he said. "Men who let their anger poison their minds do not always think clearly. They are blinded by their own anger and take it out on anyone. I should know, I have been in that situation before." "You have?" Malina said. "Yes, my child," the waiter told her. "One time, a fire broke out into the home of me and my wife. When everything we had ever owned was destroyed, I was angry with myself. And I let it out on my poor wife. She considered leaving me."

"And then what happened?" Malina asked.

"After I had time to reflect," the waiter told her, "I realized that my own anger had blinded my love for my beautiful dove. And I managed to catch her before she had left for Cairo. And soon after we confessed our feelings, we eventually went back to living together. And we now have children together because of our undying love." "That's so sweet," Malina said. "But that won't change my feelings."

"Come now, my child," the waiter said. "You should not be blinded by your own anger to hate this lad more than you do now. You both need to apologize and confess your affections toward each other. And when he knows, you'll know." He then went back to cleaning the tables.

...

Meanwhile, Snowy was sniffing around, hoping to find Malina. As Snowy was snuffing around in the ground, he then began sniffing around a trash can. Suddenly, his ears pricked up. He then leapt inside the trash can.

"Snowy!" Tintin exclaimed. He then ran towards the trash can. "Snowy, I've told you a million times; you can't just go roaming around and dig through trash as you please," Tintin said. Holding his breath, Tintin then reached into the garbage can and pulled Snowy out. He then noticed that Snowy held something in his mouth. "What is that you've got there?" Tintin asked. He then took the items and unwrapped them. He suddenly gasped.

They were Malina's scarf and tattered dress!

"These are Malina's!" Tintin said. "We must be close!" As Tintin and Snowy continued walking, Tintin felt someone brush up against his waist. "Huh?" he asked. "Watch out, idiot!" the person said. Her voice sounded familiar. "Where are you going?" Tintin asked. "I'm just waiting for a ship," the woman said, her eyes covered by her hood. "Miss, have you seen some girl around here? She had a white dress on, it's tattered?" Tintin asked.

"Oh, I'm afraid you've missed her," the woman said. "She's left the village." "She left?" Tintin asked. "Yes, she's gone for good," the woman said. "She decided to leave because some idiot told her that she's a stupid witch." "What did that idiot look like?" Tintin asked. "Afellow of some sort, with brown trousers," the woman continued, "European, probably, with a stupid cowlick in his hair..."

Tintin paused. She was literally describing him! "I do not!" Tintin said. "Show yourself!" The woman removed her scarf. Tintin opened his eyes. "Malina?" he asked.

"Why are you here?" Malina asked. "I came to find you," Tintin said. "I just figured something out, and the Thompsons, the captain and I were trying to find you all throughout the village!" Tintin said. "We've got a big break in the case, and we need to go now!" Tintin started to walk briskly, but Malina didn't follow him

"No," Malina said angrily.

"No?" Tintin echoed.

"You heard me," Malina said. "You don't belong here. Go home."

"I know," Tintin said. "You're still mad about me calling you a stupid witch, right?" "I've made my decision," Malina said. "I'm taking a freighter back to Europe, I'm using the last of the money I have to take a train to Antwerp, I'm going home, and I'll be pretending none of this ever happened."

"Look Malina, I'm sorry," Tintin said. "I know that what I said before was harmful. I should have never said those things to you." "You're too late," Malina said, turning around. "So, if you want to go out there and face Sakharine on your own, then you be ny guest. Because this is all on you now."

She then began slowly walking away from Tintin.

"Please, Malina!" Tintin said, feeling sick to his stomach. "What's it going to take for you to forgive me?!" Malina still refused to listen. "Go away," Malina said.

"Malina!" Tintin said. " I admit it! I was dumb to call you a stupid witch! I should have never said that to you! I'm sorry, okay?! I love you too much to lose you!"

Malina suddenly paused. She then turned around.

"W-What did you say?" She asked.

"I'm sorry," Tintin said. "And after that?" Malina asked. "I-I love you?" Tintin asked, with a gulp. Malina slowly approached Tintin. "You love me?" she asked. "J-Just as a friend!" Tintin said. "I never meant it romantically, I just assumed that we've have a mutual connection going on, but just as friends, you know? I'm...I—"

Malina slowly put a finger to his lips. "Say no more," she said quietly. "If you meant every word, I forgive you."

"Look, I'm terribly sorry," Tintin said. "I was just so angry about the scrolls going missing, and I...I didn't know who else to blame." "It's okay," Malina said. "You were blinded by your own anger. And you weren't careful enough to think it through. And I—oh!" "What is it?" Tintin asked. "Your face!" Malina said. "Oh, this? It's nothing," Tintin said. "Just a bit swollen." "Here, let me," Malina said as she wet a handkerchief and tried to dab Tintin's cheek a little. "No no, Malina, that's okay," Tintin said. "I—ow! I don't need you to—ow!"

"Laddie? Laddie!"

"Captain!" Tintin exclaimed. "Ya found her, laddie!" Haddock said. He and the Thompsons had been trailing them. "Captain!" Malina said. "What are you all doing here?" "We're here," Haddock panted, "to find you!" "But what's going on?" Malina asked. "Why are you almost out of breath?"

"We've been trying to tell you," Tintin said. "I realized where the signal I sent is going!" "What do you mean?" Malina asked. "Sakharine and his men are heading back to Brussels!" Tintin said. "Brussels?" Malina asked. "But why would they go back there?"

"That's what we're trying to figure out," Tintin said. "So, are you coming with us?" Malina stared at the men for a moment. Then she smiled. "I'll go with you guys," Malina said. "Yes!" Tintin exclaimed. "But, um..." Malina started to say, "how do you boys suppose we get to Brussels?"

"Leave that to us," Thompson said. "We have a plane docked at the pier." "To be precise," Thomson said, "we have a plane to get you three over there." "And you're sure this plane will be safe to navigate to Brussels?" Malina asked. "After what happened in the desert the other day?"

"It'll be fine," Thompson said. "Now you just leave it to us. Now let's get a move on, shall we?"

Moments later, Tintin, Malina, Haddock, and Snowy were in the Thompsons' plane en route to Brussels. Malina had already changed in her old clothes, now clean and fresh. Snowy looked out the windows of the plane in anticipation, panting happily. "Snowy must be happy to go home," Malina said. "He sure is," Tintin said. "Ya know laddie?" Haddock asked. "Know what?" Tintin asked. "You and that lassie Malina would make the perfect couple," Haddock said.

Tintin felt his stomach flip. "No!" Tintin exclaimed. "Me and Malina together?!" "Why would you say that?" Malina asked. "C'mon," Haddock said. "A lad like you and a lassie like her? You'd both be perfect for each other!"

Tintin slumped in his seat, humiliated. It was going to be a long plane ride back home.


End file.
